REVIEW: The Black Count: a real-life action hero in France

By Anouska Kock

Who doesn’t know Alexandre Dumas? Yes, I’m talking about the French guy who wrote such famous novels as ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’. You may also know that Dumas is of African descent.  Well, get this: Alexandre apparently based his stories on the life of his father: Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. Yep, that’s right. The real Count of Monte Cristo is a black fellow (or partly black fellow, to be precise – Alexandre’s old man was a mulatto).

It just so happens, that Thomas-Alexandre Dumas was a swashbuckling general during the French revolution. He rose to great fame, but then experienced a political downfall which eventually caused him to spend years in a dungeon and die in obscurity.

Images of Blacks in the Middle Ages in The Netherlands

Via Black Germans
In 'Things Aren’t Simple: the Black King in Manuscripts', Dutch Art Historian and curator Ester Schreuders writes about the first black figures in the art of the Low Countries, or Netherlands, figures which are especially found in miniatures, illuminations and illustrations from the late Middle Ages – the Gothic period – and the early Renaissance.  Check out her blog at http://estherschreuder.wordpress.com

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, bonne année, ein glückliches neues jahr, feliz año nuevo, feliz ano novo, felice anno nuovo, gott nytt år, godt nytår, godt nyttår, С Новым Годом, szczęśliwego nowego roku, sťastný nový rok en gelukkig nieuwjaar!

S&A Presents A Video Compilation Of The Year 2012 In Black Cinema

A great compilation of cinema of the African Diaspora in 2012 from of our friends of Shadow and Act.

VIDEO ART: Why did you made me black Lord?

The video entitled "The image of me", which is made by Danish video artist Jeannette Ehlers and Dutch visual artist Patricia Kaersenhout for the Black Magic Women Festival 2012 in Amsterdam Southeast,  portrays two women – one black and one white – who gradually change colour. The video is based on the poem "Lord Why Did You Make Me Black?" from African-American poet RuNett Nia Ebo.

Powerlist: Black Dutch diplomat Arthur Kibbelaar sees artists as barometers of society

Arthur Kibbelaar, Consul for Press and Cultural Affairs at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, will become the new director of Foreign Relations of the island Curaçao at end of this year. 

Kibbelaar, who was born in Curaçao, worked at the European Union in Brussels, but  also in very different countries such as Serbia, Nicaragua and Burundi.  “The experiences there, in the midst of war and poverty, made me aware of the need to invest in frameworks that holds a society together, “ he explains in an interview with the newspaper Amigoe.

Arthur Kibbelaar is a product of the anti-colonial 1969 Curaçao uprising.  "The revolt of 1969 was not for nothing a turning point, " he says. "It was the start  for the children of 1969, the Afro-Curaçaoens, of a black middle class. 

Powerlist: Black Dutch cardiologist Harriette Verwey fights for the woman's heart

"Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women," said Black Dutch Cardiologist Dr. Harriette Verwey in her TEXx AmsterdamWomen talk in 2010 (see video below).

Verwey, who was born in Suriname,  is one of the first cardiologists in the Netherlands who specialised herself in women's cardiology and severe heart failure. She is connected to the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in The Netherlands.

Workshop "Understanding Marginalisation - Working for Inclusion" in Berlin - June 2013

From June 2 to June 10th, August Bebel Institute will be hosting the Grundtvig Workshop “Understanding Marginalization – Working for Inclusion. The Case of Berlin”. Closing date for applications: January 15th 2013

Our workshop invites people of all social backgrounds, abilities and economic status who are interested in the topic of marginalisation and social inclusion / empowerment. Individuals who personally experience(d) marginalisation and / or who benefited from empowerment policies and strategies are particularly welcome to join our workshop.

UK: "I left the I’mPOSSIBLE Conversation ready to kick down doors and take on the world"

On Wednesday December 12th the last I’mPOSSIBLE Conversation of 2012 took place in London. The Conversation focusses on publicising the life journeys of women of colour in Britain.

Black Portraiture[s]: The Black Body in the West. January 17-20, 2013 - Paris, France

'The Merchant of Venice' by Kiluanji Kia Henda, 2010

Black Portraiture[s]: The Black Body in the West, is the fifth in a series of conferences organized by Harvard University and NYU since 2004. The theme of this year’s conference is on the black body in the west. NYU faculty, international scholars, students, and invited guests will together explore new ways to discuss images and experiences of how the black body is imagined in the West. The conference is free but registration is required.

Zenit Sint Petersburg Fanclub Against Black and Gay Players

Landskrona, the main fanclub of Zenit Sint Petersburg football club, published a manifest with racist remarks. They state in their manifest that they are against the participation of black players in their team. The club would lose its identity if they integrate players from foreign regions. The arrival of Belgian player Axel Witsel and Brazilian striker Hulk this year clearly angers some of the fans.

VIDEO: Brussels Singer Soul T presents 'Material Things'

Brussels based soul singer SOUL T presents this reggae flavoured song 'Material Things'. The video was entirely shot in Brussels. He's a talent to follow.

Singer Leona Philippo wins The Voice of Holland

Tonight Leona Philippo (33) has won The Voice of Holland, one of her winning songs was "Could you be loved". Philippo was born in Canada and was raised in The Netherlands.