(The Root) — Last month, representatives from member states of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community and Common Market) and half a dozen other nations gathered in tiny St. Vincent and the Grenadines to discuss an idea regarded by some in the United States as radical, fringe, even nuts: reparations for "native genocide and…

(The Root) — To hear 22-year-old Nice Nailantei Leng'ete answer questions from across a table, you have to lean in. She's that quiet. When she's chronicling her globally praised work to end female genital mutilation among Kenya's Masai people, she chooses her words deliberately. (Just one example: She prefers the…

Editor's note: The spelling of the ethnic term "Coloured," used within the context of South African history and culture, reflects the writer's preference.

(The Root) — For many of Kenya's well-off, Saturdays are for shopping, drinking lattes, nibbling on international fare like sushi and Greek frozen yogurt and window-shopping in Nairobi's upscale malls. There's the Sarit Center, the Village Market and the perhaps the glitziest of them all, the Westgate Mall, where the…

(The Root) — This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Martinican polymath Aimé Césaire. If anyone truly deserves the title of Caribbean Renaissance man, it's Césaire. Poet, playwright, co-founder of the influential literary movement négritude, politician and mayor of Fort de France, Martinique, for nearly…

(The Root) — Cork Street in Mayfair, nestling just behind Savile Row and the sartorial panache of its world-famous bespoke tailors, is without a doubt one of London's most salubrious streets, internationally renowned for its plethora of opulent, high-end art galleries. Thankfully it now has a most welcome recent…

(The Root) — After 30 years of teaching African history, I am still fascinated by the idealism and innocence expressed by those who supported plans to settle African Americans on the African coast in the 1820s. They knew so little about the continent and the people who lived in it.

(The Root) —

(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…

(The Root) — This year, African heads of state are celebrating 50 years of Pan-Africanism through the African Union and its progenitor, the Organization of African Unity. Heads of state are meeting on Saturday at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to celebrate the 54-nation organization, founded on Marcus…

(Sahara Reporters) — Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described Africa's most well-known novelist, Chinua Achebe, as a storyteller who earned global celebration, adding, however, that those describing Achebe as "the father of African literature" were ignorant.

(The Root) — Whenever northern Nigeria has been in the news in recent months, the stories are usually about killings and kidnappings by Boko Haram — a radical Islamist insurgency group that has killed some 2,000 people and kidnapped others in the region since its emergence in 2002. The slayings included several people…

(The Root) — The American story has too long been told through a racial lens and always vis-à-vis "whiteness." This is a dangerous premise — fortifying the principles of white supremacy, entirely incongruent with the nation's democratic values. In no area is this problem more apparent than the American media — and…

(The Root) — Exactly 20 years ago today, Stephen Lawrence woke up like a typical 18-year-old student. Studying technology and physics, he was hoping to go to college later that year to realize his dream of becoming an architect.

(The Root) — The "new" South Africa turns 20 next year.

(The Root) — I'm in France at the moment watching the horrible events in Boston and their effect on London. Brits who were there are returning to the U.K. with terrible tales to tell, some still in shock. It's the same in France. The Boston marathon is a huge international event that many nations see as their own, so…

(The Root) — Beyoncé Knowles made waves last week when she and husband Jay-Z visited the Cuban capital, reportedly to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. But if the king and queen of hip-hop headed south in search of peace and tranquillity, they had another thing coming. Crowds gathered in front of their hotel,…

(The Root) — It's always fascinating to observe how romantic Americans are about the United Kingdom. No matter what age or color, economic status or education, the country that most Americans call "England" always brings out the corniest responses.

(The Root) — While many photography fans are familiar with images of sharply dressed Malians during the 1960s and 1970s, casual art lovers might not know about the man behind the lens, Malick Sidibé. However, this will change when a documentary about Sidibé's life and work — Dolce Vita Africana, released originally in…