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In Africa, a Renewed Sense of Potential
(Special to The Root) — When the African Union (known then as the Organization of African Unity) was founded, the leaders of that era understood that the success of their individual countries hinged on the success of the entire continent. Now, as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary, we understand more than ever the key…
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Silence and Solidarity in 1968 Ghana
(Special to The Root) — In this excerpt from Vice-President John Dramani Mahama’s book, My First Coup d’Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa, he tells the story of a boarding-school bully, Ezra, who bore striking resemblance to the dictators popping up across Africa in the 1960s. One day Ezra issued…
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What Would Fela Think of Today's Africa?
In late April of this year, the award-winning Broadway musical Fela! was staged in Lagos, Nigeria. I traveled there, at the invitation of the organizers, to watch the show. From the moment Sahr Ngaujah, the actor who portrays Fela Anikulapo Kuti, took to the stage, he channeled the late musician, and I was immediately transported…
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Your Take: The Bridge Between Ghana and Black America
At the stroke of midnight on March 6, 1957, as the new day began, so, too, began a new nation. It was the moment at which the Union Jack was replaced with a flag of red, gold and green with a distinctive black star at is center. The British-ruled Gold Coast was now a self-ruled…
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Your Take: There's Still Hope for Democracy in Africa
The current political development in Côte d’Ivoire, and the manner in which it will be resolved, will serve as either a clear indication of how tenuous the democratic process still is on the African continent, or a joyous testament to how far the continent has traveled in its promotion of peace and advancement. I’m sure…
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Your Take: Seeing Africa With Different Eyes
As I prepare to travel to South Africa to attend the 19th FIFA World Cup event, I am reminded of the incomparable power of sports. Perhaps it is because I am a politician that I am so acutely aware of the fact that through international competitive sports we as a global community have managed to…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
