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Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 3:14pm On Jan 30, 2020
Supersweet2019:


So sickening how ignorant and non-empathetic some Nigerians are. So AA and South Africans blame whites for woes, who do Nigerians blame for living in an all black country with poor roads, no steady electricity and no jobs for the young people? And least we don’t oppose our own kind.

Nigerians blame Nigerian politicians and corruption for that, so they blame their own people on the top(politicians, wealthy Nigerians) for the problems you listed and the blame is valid cause they are responsible for it for the most part. Thats is why Nigerians are not easily disillusioned when it comes to this Black love ideology cause most in power for the most part, causing the issues in Nigeria are ones who share the same skin color & culture as other Nigerians so we see through the BS. You are not going to see Nigerians complain about England 24/7 for their problems, 9/10 they are attacking their own Nigerians in power.

3 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 3:04pm On Jan 30, 2020
dominique:
Interesting. In most cases, African migrants would rather mingle with other fellow African migrants or people from other races than with African Americans. They're hardly ever found in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. This article pretty much explains why.

I don't blame them and there is a reason for that which the article high lights. Me as a Nigerian American born and raised in America based on what I have experienced, I fully support it.

3 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:55pm On Jan 30, 2020
sisipelebe:
I'm not quick to judge , I'm only trying to weigh the difference. Nine out of ten AA men and women has kids out of wedlock. you hardly see these from the white ppl. Back to our African culture ,They're few with the exception of my forefathers. Don't use celeb life style to judge other Nigeria men.

AMEN

2 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:53pm On Jan 30, 2020
Fuckthamods:
My brother in the US said to me last week "brother forget what you see in T.Vs, these African Americans are the most useless set of humans i have seen. Don't be suprised that the common man you see in the streets of Nigeria is way smarter than Jay Z. I don't want to do drugs, i want to work hard for my money, doing drugs here will make you rich and i will never do it, but one thing i will forever do is support the drug dealers decision to sell drugs because the buyers who are mostly African Americans don't deserve pity!"

The reason is because what you see on TV is the entertainers and athletes in international news not the average ones who are the majority. I will say this that there is a population of african americans who are hard working and successful but their numbers are not above the ones that are doing the reverse.

3 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:50pm On Jan 30, 2020
sisipelebe:
Nigeria men and women still have some dignity. In the US babymamarizim is like an investment to the women.

its because most african american men don't value marriage and since many african american women still prefer to have children with them they end up as baby mama's as a result.

2 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:39pm On Jan 30, 2020
Destroyerofyeeb:
I have no issues with white people, my issue is with Nigeria leaders who fvcked up the country. Let akatas resolve their issues with whites and stop the dumb name calling whenever Africans don't align themselves with their fvcked up western mentality.

AMEN

2 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:35pm On Jan 30, 2020
Americanboy35:
African Americans? Nope, will rather be alone than to mingle with them, those people wey go dey talk like say dem dey rap, meth heads them....

Amen, for the most part majority of them are like that, only a small population are different from them and I feel sorry for them cause they have to deal with their community one way or the other. If only most acted like Melody Hobson, Michelle & Barack Obama, Condolessa Rice, Kerry Washington, Oprah, Colin Powell and etc that would be great.

3 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:30pm On Jan 30, 2020
Okpa042:
There is a huge chasm between African-Americans and African immigrants in the United States. That chasm has widened over the years. It has caused deep animosity between many African-Americans and their African immigrant cousins.

The chasm has prevented African-Americans from participating in the current economic boom in Africa and it has shut many African immigrants out of opportunities for economic advancement here in the United States.

The problem stems from deep misconceptions, sometimes fueled by the U.S. media. Astonishingly, many African-Americans believe that Africans are backward and primitive. Some make crude jokes about Africans or do not acknowledge the great contribution Africa has made to the world.

For their part, many African immigrants buy into the erroneous notion that African-Americans are lazy and violent.

They do not appreciate the great sacrifice African-Americans made, through advocating for their civil rights, to lay the foundation for Africans to be able to come to the United States and live in a country where both blacks and whites have equal rights, at least in theory if not always in practice.

The different experiences of the two groups

To understand the deep division that exists between African Americans and Africans, one first has to examine the background of the two groups.

Before migrating to the United States, most Africans have typically dealt with white Americans who went to Africa as Peace Corps volunteers, missionaries, doctors or teachers. These Americans acted as mentors and guardians to the Africans and developed positive relationships with them.

When they come to the United States, it has been my experience that Africans can easily identify with white Americans because they understand each other. Before migrating to the United States, the majority of Africans have had little to no direct negative experiences with whites. They simply do not hate them.

On the other hand, most African-Americans grew up in black neighborhoods where they learned from older generations the history of slavery and the cruelty it inflicted on the black race. Furthermore, they have usually experienced firsthand and in their communities the legacies of racism that still exist in the United States.

With this background, many African-Americans are not generally predisposed to trust white Americans, and they look down on those African immigrants who express respect or admiration for white Americans.

How they react to racism and discrimination

A fundamental difference between African Americans and African immigrants is the way they react to racism and discrimination.

African Americans usually see racism as the main cause of poverty among their people. They are also quick to point out instances of perceived racism, even in circumstances where it is ambiguous, unclear or more complex than simple racial bigotry or discrimination.

A classic example is the currently large African-American population in prison. Most African-Americans feel that the only reason there are so many African Americans incarcerated is their race. They blame police discrimination and lawmakers who make laws weighted to punish blacks.

For Africans, after suffering many years in civil wars, military coups and other problems, they are happy to be in a country that offers them freedom. They are ready to integrate into the American culture without getting involved in the lingering racial conflicts. They do not typically get involved in the ongoing civil rights struggle – and that has angered many African-Americans.

How they react to adversity

Perhaps the greatest difference I have seen between African immigrants and African-Americans is how they react to adversity.

Most African immigrants to the United States came here for economic advancement. They do not have any political agenda. They are willing to take any job and do not blame the “system” when they fail in their endeavors.

Most African immigrants to the United States often live in mixed neighborhoods instead of black neighborhoods and they easily integrate. African immigrants know who they are. They are not easily offended when someone tries to put them down. They know where they come from and why they are here.

For African-Americans, there is often a tendency to blame slavery for most of the problems they face today. For instance, when African American students fail in school, some educators blame slavery and do not look for other factors.

However, the time has come for African Americans to realize that while racism still persists, the best thing they can do for their children is to teach them to take full responsibility for their actions. Fathers need to take care of their children and young women need to stay in school instead of having children.

It is only when black people, be they from Africa or America, unite to instill discipline and respect for each other that the chasm that has divided us will narrow. Then we can finally work together to remove poverty from our people both here in the United States and Africa.

Source: https://www.theglobalist.com/african-americans-african-immigrants-differ/

Great article I agree with many things mentioned but I must ask why should Nigerians care in 2020 to get along with african americans just because we share the same race as them? plus I feel there is something left out in the article that needs to be mentioned, many african americans feel their views of race should be the mentality black african immigrants should embrace when they come to America and majority of Africans are not standing for it. Africans do go through racism in the western world and acknowledge it but it doesn't make us stop being who we are when it comes to our identity. That is one big elephant in the room I have noticed with some african americans they get uncomfortable when Africans don't share that RACE first identity mentality they have.

4 Likes

Culture / Re: The Rift Between African-Americans And Recent African Immigrants To The US by anonymous6(f): 2:21pm On Jan 30, 2020
TimiRume:
Let's stop pretending, there is very little similarity between Africans and African americans. The only thing we have in common is our skin and shared ancestry, nothing much. They are not us, we are not them. And its okay.

Their mainstream culture is toxic and Africans copying them should learn from the long term consequences that come with such lifestyle.

AMEN, I'm Nigerian American and I can attest to that

1 Like

Foreign Affairs / Netflix Is Starting To Take Africa’s Largest Movie Industry Seriously by anonymous6(f): 1:55am On Aug 02, 2019
Netflix is finally putting its $8 billion original production budget to work in Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industry.

The global streaming giant purchased worldwide rights to Lionheart, it’s first original film from Nigeria. The comedy, stars Nollywood bigwigs including Genevieve Nnaji, Nkem Owoh, Pete Edochie, and Onyeka Onwenu. Nnaji who has had some success starring in Hollywood productions, doubles as director on Lionheart.

Netflix has previously licensed Nollywood flicks including romantic comedy The Wedding Party as well as crime thriller October 1 but only after both had been screened in local cinemas.

Netflix’s first original film from Nollywood is an added bow as the industry evolves. Initially known for its model of low-budget high-volume productions, Nollywood became the world’s second biggest movie industry by volume. But in recent years, Nollywood has began placing more emphasis on quality over quantity. Those efforts have been rewarded with local and international box office success. But as it continues to grapple with the lack of a vast enough distribution network locally—there aren’t enough cinemas and piracy remains a problem—global streaming revenues are a boon for Nollywood. This is in addition to significant investment from the South Africa-owned Africa Magic television channel which has backed Nollywood productions with millions of dollars.

Netflix can also take a cue from, iROKOtv, also dubbed “the Netflix of Africa.” The success of iROKOtv, the first major streaming service to offer Nollywood content, offers a measure of the market and appeal that Nollywood movies hold. Iroko has also had success translating its long-term Nollywood relationship into international broadcasting channels on South Africa’s DStv, UK’s Sky and investment from France’s Canal Plus.

The first hint Netflix would have more active interest in original African content came in May when it advertised for a director of content acquisition for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Back in October 2016—nine months after launching in Africa—it also deployed a dedicated server in Nigeria to ease the difficulties of content delivery for its local users.

But as it steps up in Africa, Netflix is facing increased competition. Multichoice, Africa’s largest pay TV player, in response to its dipping subscription numbers, is already pushing to have Netflix regulated.
https://qz.com/africa/1384217/netflix-buys-nollywood-movie-lionheart-by-genevieve-nnaji/?fbclid=IwAR3bN4nracIlFo4lCMf_EQ_eM_V5IJ7G_JQbYsLa7BDhKApsS9oG5-hnUtQ
Culture / Colourism In Nollywood - Face2faceafrica by anonymous6(f): 2:58am On Jul 18, 2019
In the last decade, I have seen Nigerian movies pay attention to style more ever than before. Female actors in particular rock the latest trends in fashion, adorned in name brand stilettos even for scenes that do not necessarily require them, in top-notch facial makeover and hair styled in long Brazilian weaves.

For critical viewers like me, it is not hard to conclude that the Nigerian movie industry is paying more attention to details. However, it is also disturbing to notice the prevalence of colourism and false standards of beauty in Nollywood.

In Nigeria in general, light-skinned women are aggrandized, paid more attention and given more privileges. This could be as a result of the narrow societal definition of beauty. It is not very far-fetched as the faces in marketing, media and modeling are usually the fair skinned and slim ladies.

As a matter of fact, there is a preference for fair ladies in recruitment for roles such as front desk officer, air hostess and hospitality management. The movie industry is not excluded as light-skinned actresses seem to be at an advantage compared to their dark complexioned counterparts.

Colourism according to Oxford Dictionary means “prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.” A deep dive into the evolution of colourism in Africa shows a link with racism, an offshoot of colonialism.

Alice Walker, a novelist had once explored how colonial slave masters created a social stratum by showing preference for light-skinned slaves as they were allowed to work in the house while the dark-skinned slaves worked in fields. Unconsciously, our society has internalized this false notion of light-skinned persons being better than dark-skinned persons.

This thought is deeply amplified in Nollywood. For a fact, fair girls seem to get more casting roles than dark-skinned girls. The flipside to this is where both shades of skin tone are casted but dark skinned girls seem to get the less desirable or passive roles in movies. It is a known fact success in showbiz is not totally dependent on talent, the look must be complementary. As a result, a lot of actresses overtime see the need to tone their skin, improve their looks through cosmetic surgery to get more lead roles and also conform to the required image as they climb the ladder of success.

The impacts of colourism are rife. First, it is an act of discrimination fuelling the assumption that light-skinned people are better and as such deserve better opportunities particularly in the movie industry.

Second, it underestimates the place of talent and merit where people are considered merely because of their skin colour and not their ability or adaptability to the role in question.

Most importantly, it places undue pressure on aspiring dark-skinned actresses or sometimes crush their careers and prospects in the industry before time.

Mercy Johnson, a popular award winning Nollywood actress mentioned to Punch how difficult it was to get roles in her early days as an actress. In the same light, Keira Hewatch staring as Peace in the popular Nigerian series, ‘Lekki Housewives’ in an exclusive interview with Pulse Nigeria mentioned how she had lost movie roles on account of her dark complexion.

In addition, celebrities wield great influence in all ramification especially fashion and lifestyle. This level of impact is more pronounced for young people who shape their lives after the celebrities they adore. As a result, there is a remarkable tendency for young girls to validate their sense of beauty using metrics such as skin colour and general physical appearance.

Conclusively, it is not enough to start a viral campaign for dark and natural beauty using the popular #MelaninPopping without creating awareness for a fair and equitable system where casting considerations and any job at all are made solely on the basis of expertise.

For this to happen, we might need to start reviewing why ladies on popular adverts are predominantly tall, slim and light-skinned and not the everyday Nigerian girl because in truth, colourism thrives on the assumption that people prefer ladies with lighter skin.
https://face2faceafrica.com/article/colourism-in-nollywood-how-an-industry-propagates-culture-of-self-hatred-for-dark-skinned-girls
Foreign Affairs / Meghan Markle Has Been A Target For Racists — How Will This Impact Her Son? by anonymous6(f): 7:34pm On May 18, 2019
Since she started dating Prince Harry, Meghan Markle — whose father is white and mother is Black — has been the subject of racist attacks online

In November 2016, Kensington Palace released a statement urging the media to halt articles with “racist undertones.”

In February 2017, the couple was sent a suspicious package with a racist note.

And in March of this year, the Palace increased social-media monitoring to combat racist comments made against the Duchess of Sussex, who identifies as bi-racial.

Now, the pair have welcomed their firstborn son, and he is the first “mixed race” baby to be born into the modern British Royal Family.

According to Dr. Ronald Hall, an expert in race relations and a professor in the department of social work at Michigan State University, it’s likely that this child will receive some of the same treatment as his mother.

Taking one look at social media in the days after the baby’s arrival confirms this. Mere moments after the first images of the newborn were revealed, racist trolls were abound on sites like Twitter.

“Old stereotypes — and ugly stereotypes — die hard,” Hall said.

In his view, racism in western countries isn’t as bad as it was 100 years ago — but we still have a long way to go.

“Anything and everything that this kid does from childhood and adulthood is going to be scrutinized to the nth degree,” said Hall.

Annette Henry, a professor in the department of language and literacy education at the University of British Columbia, agreed.

She referred to the racist treatment of the Duchess of Sussex to prove her point.

“Clearly, [Markle] is going to have to do some protecting,” Henry told Global News.

“Already, we see how Harry has been very protective of her and come to her defence.”

However, Henry isn’t sure how this will manifest in the baby’s life because he’s a royal.

“That child [will live] such a protected life,” Henry said. “They’re different than us… everyday people.”

The nuances of complexion

Hall has done an abundance of research on how skin colour affects success and added the newborn’s skin tone will be critical.

He discovered a correlation between lighter skin and access to more money, better jobs and better education.

“Your quality of life is going to be significantly better if you have more Caucasian features.”

Therefore, Hall said the baby will struggle less with racism if he looks more like his dad, Prince Harry.

“The physiological ideal is Caucasian features with lighter skin,” Hall said.

“He will have it much easier than if he’s darker complected or if he takes the features of Meghan’s mother, [Doria Ragland].”

Should the baby have predominantly white features, however, he will still struggle with negative Black stereotypes — though perhaps to a lesser degree.

“It’s known as the One Drop theory in western culture,” Hall said.

“It is believed that one drop of Black blood defines you as Black, even if [you’re] blond-haired and blue-eyed.”

This reality often opens up a mixed-race person to scrutiny and ridicule, regardless of how they act.

Hira Singh, an expert in social inequality and a professor of sociology at York University in Toronto, places this within the context of the monarchy’s problematic history.

“[The new royal baby] will have to confront the hidden and open, conscious and unconscious ideas, prejudices relating to race cemented from the past and continuing in the present,” Singh said.

According to Singh, race is a structure created in order to differentiate between white and non-white people.

The superiority of the white race was promulgated worldwide by the British monarchy during colonization.

“The burden of resistance falls on the racialized groups,” Singh said. “The baby, as part of that group, will have to bear that burden.”

‘Too white or not Black enough’

Hall said often, the issue of skin colour is more critical for women than it is for men.

“Society values women for their beauty,” he said. “If they’re not lighter-complected, there are going to be challenges. If they are light-complected, there will also be challenges.”

Some light-skinned women often struggle to prove their Blackness to the people around them.

“You have African-American women with naturally green eyes or naturally blond hair, and they’re always going to be put aside… not considered Black,” Hall said.

These are the same women that may get attention from men because lighter skin is considered more attractive — they could be fetishized for their whiteness.

However, the situation only marginally improves for light-skinned Black men, Hall added.

According to Hall, some mixed-race men are commonly scrutinized for their masculinity (or lack thereof). He uses the example of NBA players to illustrate his point.

“Kobe Bryant was quoted [saying], ‘Take it to the hole like a dark-skinned dude,'” said Hall.

“This simply means that, on the basketball court, darker-skinned men are respected as more aggressive and more manly, [while] lighter-skinned men are [seen as] soft, not aggressive, not manly.”

Ultimately, Hall predicted the new royal baby will struggle with feeling “too white or not Black enough.”

Preparing the baby

With Markle having been subjected to racist treatment by the public, it’s likely she will draw on that experience to help prepare her newborn son.

In Hall’s opinion, how she does that will, again, rely heavily on the baby’s skin tone.

“If he’s lighter-complected, [Markle] may want to emphasize pride in the history of his African ancestry and prepare him for people who are going to challenge his ethnicity,” Hall said.

“If he’s darker-complected… she may want to make sure that he is aware of his British ancestry.”

“Complexion is going to be the most important aspect of his life,” Hall said.

Henry is on the edge of her seat, hopeful that this is the beginning of a new era for the Royal Family.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they craft this,” she said.

“I think [Markle] will probably make sure the child is surrounded by a range of people with a range of backgrounds.”

She hopes the increased representation within the family will force a larger conversation about diversity and inclusion — but whether or not this will make a difference for society at large, Henry is unsure.

“We have a rising tide of neo-nationalism,” she said. “Politically speaking, it’s scary what’s happening in Canada and the U.S. and in Europe, so… I don’t know.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/5245365/meghan-markle-prince-harry-baby-mixed-race/
Foreign Affairs / Re: Confronting Sexual Violence In Schools by anonymous6(f): 7:23pm On May 18, 2019
[quote author=Flexherbal post=78151906][/quote]

agreed
Foreign Affairs / Confronting Sexual Violence In Schools by anonymous6(f): 1:19pm On May 06, 2019
Rachel Njeri, a student of Makerere University in Uganda, wept bitterly when recounting a sexual assault that took place in April 2018. “I tried to resist his actions but he was stronger than me. He grabbed me and threw me on the cabinet files at the corner.”

Her attacker, she alleged, was a university administrator. He has since been suspended and charged with sexually harassing a student.

Ms. Njeri said she had gone to collect her transcript from the administrator’s office when the man pounced on her. She managed to take a photo during the attack with her mobile phone that went viral.


In Nigeria, the Obafemi Awolowo University in June sacked a tenured professor for allegedly demanding sex from a female student, Monica Osagie, in exchange for passing marks.

Ms. Osagie released to the public a secretly recorded conversation with the professor. The audio was widely distributed on social media, grabbing the attention of international news organisations such as CNN and the BBC.


University authorities confirmed that one of the recorded voices was the professor’s. He demanded sex in exchange for a passing grade, to which Ms. Osagie responded, “Prof, you know what? Let me fail it. I can’t do it.”

Sexual abuse on the rise

In Africa, reports of the sexual abuse of girls by their teachers have increased with the help of social media and new recording technologies.

The World Health Organisation reported in 2014 that young women are commonly taken advantage of in school environments, while UN Women reported that up to 20% of women in Nairobi schools have been sexually harassed.


In January 2018, Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni released an investigative report on sexual violence in higher education institutions in the country. The report stated that 40% of males and 50% of females felt sexually threatened on their campuses.

In a study published this year, Experiences of Gender-Based Violence at a South African University: Prevalence and Effect on Rape Myth Acceptance, researchers Gillian Finchilescu and Dugard Jackie of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, found that most sexual assault cases are unreported, which hamstrung prevention efforts.

The #MeToo movement that swept from the US across the world in 2017 to raise awareness about sexual harassment and abuse has also encouraged some African women to speak out. Mona Chasserio, who runs a shelter in Senegal for women rape victims, told Reuters last October that, “Women are starting to speak out, little by little, but we’re only at the very beginning.”

“Most girls will not report it because no one believes them,” laments Ms. Njeri. But a defiant Ms. Osagie told CNN, “I am actually happy I came out.… For me, speaking up will bring more women to speak and eradicate what is happening around young women.”

In April 2016, female students at South Africa’s Rhodes University protested the high number of rapes on campus. To counter the common practice of victim blaming, the students published the names of 11 male students who had allegedly been involved in sexual assault but had not faced any investigation. University authorities denied they had shown scant attention to the issue.

On why many women do not report sexual assault cases, Ms. Osagie said they are afraid of being insulted or humiliated by others. She said that after she publicized her ordeal, “A guy came up to me at a bank and said, ‘Is this not the girl who harassed a lecturer?’ and called me a prostitute.”

Several countries, universities and students have tried various measures to control the unwanted behavior.


Ugandan parliamentarian Anna Adeke, who represents the National Female Youth Constituency, in April this year led efforts to set up a parliamentary special committee to investigate sexual harassment in institutions of higher education in her country.

A Sexual Offences Bill was presented in the Ugandan parliament in 2016; however, cases of abuse still occur. In 2017, the proprietor of a prominent institution allegedly fathered several children with his students.

Former secretary-general of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union James Tweheyo said at the time, “It is not ethical, it is not professional, it is even religiously wrong. It is wrong for somebody entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of children to be the one to lead them into temptation.”

In 2016 the Nigerian Senate enacted the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Prohibition Bill; offenders could face up to five years in prison. After the Obafemi Awolowo University story broke, the Senate passed a motion to investigate sexual violence in universities nationwide.

Benin has introduced a law that makes sexual harassment illegal in schools, offices and homes.

Civil society has not lagged behind in fighting the vice. Over the years, African citizen activists have become more vocal in campaigning against all forms of gender-based violence. Egypt’s Mariam Kirollos became prominent during the Arab Spring uprising when she mobilized crowds to chant: “Harassment will not do you good; a woman’s voice is not a sacrilege, it is a revolution.”


Naming and shaming

Ms. Kirollos cofounded the group Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment and Assault. Due in part to the activism of this and other groups, Egypt in 2014 passed a law that criminalizes sexual harassment. Before then, says Ms. Kirollos, sexual harassment “was often conflated with rape.”

She adds, “This conceptual and lexical opaqueness of the meaning of the term reveals the multiple layers of denial that allowed a violative behaviour to be a normative one, wildly spread, particularly with the absence of a law to explicitly define it.”

Egypt has witnessed a jump in reported cases of sexual assaults since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak from the presidency, with large numbers of mob attacks on women during political protests.

A 2013 UN study stated that 99.3% Egyptian women had experienced sexual violence. Campaigners, such as the human rights activist and lawyer Ragia Omran, have called for the government to do more to stop the abuse.

Countries are doing the right thing by passing laws against sexual violence, but there could be an increase in reported cases if victims feel able to trust the authorities. Passing new laws is not enough, says Mary Wandia, a leading Kenyan women’s rights advocate, adding that, “The police force is often uninterested in domestic violence… Unless a woman can show physical evidence of the violence she has suffered, police and law-enforcement authorities are often unwilling to believe and assist her.” In other words, laws passed must be fully enforced.

Biola Akiyode, Ms. Osagie’s lawyer, says that, “This victory [the professor’s sacking] should encourage any university or secondary school student to speak out. What Monica [Osagie] did was very brave, and I hope lecturers will now see that there are consequences to their actions.”

The Speaker of Parliament in Uganda, Rebecca Kadaga, plans to name and shame on the floor of the Parliament any teacher indulging in sexual abuse of students.

Hopefully, citizen activism, buoyed by awareness-raising on social media will lead to the enactment of laws and rules—that authorities will enforce—against sexual abuse in institutions of higher learning on the continent.
https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/august-november-2018/confronting-sexual-violence-schools

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Foreign Affairs / Re: Black Student Group Complains University Is Letting In Too Many African Students by anonymous6(f): 1:05pm On May 06, 2019
MIKOLOWISKA:
most African men don't worship Jay Z or LeBron cos the cultures are different

yea I know
Foreign Affairs / Re: Black Student Group Complains University Is Letting In Too Many African Students by anonymous6(f): 1:04pm On May 06, 2019
MIKOLOWISKA:
most African men don't worship Jay Z or LeBron cos the cultures are different

Yea I know
Culture / Re: Nigeria Wants Its Stolen Bronze Statues Back, But The British Offered To Loan it by anonymous6(f): 4:24pm On Oct 09, 2018
Dmpaul:
Just imagine their gut.

well There is blame on both sides, even though Nigeria has a right to ask for their artifacts back.
Foreign Affairs / Nigeria Open To Loans Rather Than A Permanent Return Of Bronze Artifacts by anonymous6(f): 4:21pm On Oct 09, 2018
Nigeria could accept the temporary loan of a collection of exquisite bronze sculptures rather than their permanent return by European institutions, including the British Museum, officials have said.

The prospect of a loan, rather than full restitution, could set a precedent for other disputed art and artefacts that were taken during the colonial era, from Greece’s Elgin Marbles to Ethiopia’s Magdala treasures.

The Benin Bronzes are a collection of intricately-worked sculptures and plaques in bronze, ivory, ceramic and wood that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, which was subsequently incorporated into British-ruled Nigeria.

Benin was one of the most powerful kingdoms in West Africa, flourishing in the Middle Ages before it was weakened by succession struggles and civil wars.

It also leant its name to the modern-day nation of Benin, which borders Nigeria.

The Benin Bronzes were plundered from the kingdom by British forces in 1897 during a punitive expedition.

They ended up in museums and galleries in Britain, including the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, as well as Germany, Austria and the US.

Nigeria has sought their return since independence from Britain in 1960.

Godwin Obaseki, the governor of the southern Nigerian state of Edo where Benin City is now located, said that museum officials in Europe have floated the idea of returning the objects on loan.

"Whatever terms we can agree to have them back so that we can relate to our experience, relate to these works that are at the essence of who we are, we would be open to such conversations," Mr Obaseki told Reuters.

"In some cases it could be a permanent loan and in some cases it (could) just be for temporary display. In other cases it could be a return of works," he said.

Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments said its officials had held talks with representatives of European museums and it was “not adverse” to the loan of artefacts.

As part of any deal, a legal framework would have to be drawn up to guarantee the artefacts immunity from seizure once flown to Nigeria.

Other countries, including Ethiopia and Greece, have rejected the idea of loans, instead demanding permanent returns on the basis that they should not have to borrow their own pilfered property.

The British Museum, which lent one of the Elgin Marbles in its collection to St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum in 2014, told Reuters it had not received a formal request for any loans from Nigeria's government.

"But we are open to consider any specific proposals when they are made and we remain in dialogue with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments," it said in a statement.

The current king of Benin has already identified a site for a new museum to accommodate the collection, close to his palace.

"There is an ongoing dialogue between the palace of the Oba of Benin and some renowned museums in the world," said Frank Irabor, secretary of the Benin Traditional Council.

The Benin Bronzes depict scenes from court life involving kings, warriors and royal officials.

Some also feature European adventurers and traders, distinguishable by their long hair, weapons and clothing.

“While belonging to well-established West African tradition of royal palace decoration, the Benin brass plaques represent a distinct and unique corpus of work, unparalleled elsewhere on the continent,” the British Museum says of the large number of objects in its possession.

Eric Ogbemudia, 62, an expert in metal sculpture, said the bronzes should be returned.

"We will be happy if those stolen artefacts are brought back to Benin. But they stole them. Those items are the works of our forefathers and they are very unique to us," he said.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/20/bringing-home-benin-bronzes-nigeria-open-loans-rather-permanent/
Culture / Nigeria Wants Its Stolen Bronze Statues Back, But The British Offered To Loan it by anonymous6(f): 4:04pm On Oct 09, 2018
Nigeria Wants Its Stolen Bronze Statues Back, But The British Offered To "Loan" Them Back

The idea of loaning out the Benin bronze statues which belong to Nigeria by the British Museum raised the indignation of many people across the world. Many museums in the West do not entertain the idea of permanently returning stolen artefacts.

It is a known and established fact that the colonial nations always feels entitled to things they took by force, things that are not theirs. From land, to minerals, and to exquisite statues, former colonial masters feel entitled. As thus, they are reluctant to the idea of permanently returning these stolen items as they claim the items to rightfully belong to them.

This is the case with the collection of fine and exquisite bronze statues that were seized in 1897 from the Benin Kingdom by Britain. Nigeria has now been put in a position where these statues must be loaned to them instead of permanent return, something that clearly baffles the mind considering the fact that Nigeria are the owners of these statues and the British stole these statues from them because of the horrific excesses of colonialism and imperialism.

The British Museum does not want to repatriate these bronze statues to Nigeria, but are willing to loan them to Nigeria. Colonialism sparked massive looting and plunder of precious artefacts. It is now ironic that former colonisers want to dictated terms of repatriation when they acquired the artefacts by forceful means. The Benin Bronzes are a collection of intricately-worked sculptures and plaques in bronze, ivory, ceramic and wood that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, which was subsequently incorporated into British-ruled Nigeria.

In a statement quoted by Al Jazeera, much to the ire of many people across the world, Hannah Boulton, the British Museum Spokesperson said, "It’s absolutely not the case that everything in the museum’s African collections was plundered or looted or whatever the phrase you want to use but obviously there are certain circumstances or certain events that happened and certain examples like the Benin Bronzes where that material wouldn’t have come into the collection in the same way today".

When you own something, then it's taken away from you, and you are told that your only way of having access to it is through loaning. This phenomenon where former colonisers do not want to return stolen artefacts really borders on arrogance. Benin was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Africa in the middle ages, and possessed fine art, but succession struggles and civil wars were their biggest undoing, the ultimate blow being delivered by the British invaders who razed the kingdom to the ground and plundered the Benin Bronzes in 1897.

This case also brings to the fore the issue of the treasured artefacts that were seized from Maqdala by the British forces. Countries like Greece and Ethiopia have rejected the notion of loans, and they have insisted on permanent return of special artefacts and statues. There is a huge moral morass for a former coloniser to dictate terms of repatriation.

Godwin Obaseki, the governor of the southern Nigerian state of Edo where Benin City is now located, said that museum officials in Europe have floated the idea of returning the objects on loan. "Whatever terms we can agree to have them back so that we can relate to our experience, relate to these works that are at the essence of who we are, we would be open to such conversations," Mr Obaseki told Reuters.

Repatriation is not an easy option for most of the museums in the West. They are simply not keen to pursue such a route. Eric Ogbemudia, 62, an expert in metal sculpture, said the bronzes should be returned. "We will be happy if those stolen artefacts are brought back to Benin. But they stole them. Those items are the works of our forefathers and they are very unique to us," he said.

The Benin Bronzes depict scenes from court life involving kings, warriors and royal officials. Some also feature European adventurers and traders, distinguishable by their long hair, weapons and clothing. The Benin Bronzes did not only end up in Britain, they are also in museums in Germany, Austria and the US.

For the colonisers to remain in possession with something they stole, yet alone refusing to permanently return these is a very big indicator of the eternal effects of colonialism. Africa is being deprived of what it rightfully owns. The idea of loaning out these artefacts is purely farcical.
https://www.africanexponent.com/post/9005-nigeria-will-probably-be-loaned-their-own-benin-bronze-statues-by-the-british-museum
Culture / Re: Why Can't People Embrace Pan-africanism? Why So Much Hatred On This Forum?? by anonymous6(f): 3:59pm On Oct 09, 2018
Rafikizolo:
Hi friends, I have lurked on this site for a long time but decided to create an account today after some recent disturbing and disheartening posts I've seen in the culture section these past few weeks (not going to name people or even the threads I am referring to).
I am a Kenyan-American (dual citizenship) who has lived in South Africa and the United States and visits Kenya regularly. Admittedly, in all these countries, all of the Africans I associate with are fairly progressive so maybe I have a few misconceptions about the things I'm about to discuss here.

In all my time, I've never seen so much illegitimate and unprovoked childishness and hatred from people as I have on this forum with the exception of radical white nationalist groups like the KKK and Stormfront, etc. I'm being very serious right now. People on this forum are better at spitting hatred towards black people than some white neo-nazis, and WE ARE BLACK.


I'm not saying everyone on this forum is like this of course, but why are there so many people who are? Why attack South Africans/Kenyans and tear-down their looks and cultures because you're Nigerian and feel that you are superior? Why dehumanize "bantus" because you are Somali and feel that you're different and more culturally/genetically advanced? None of it makes sense, and one offense is not better than the other. Why must posts that are dedicated to praising our beautiful African women always devolve into tribalistic nonsense?


I'm only 20 years old, but in my opinion, no functioning adult should even be involved in a debate about which country has the most beautiful women... everybody knows they've seen both ugly women and pretty women everywhere they go, and it doesn't matter what you think anyway. Right now there is a white guy somewhere who only finds Swiss women attractive and will swear on his life that they are the most beautiful people in the world, but obviously everyone here would probably disagree with him. Nobody here who thinks, Nigerian/Ghanian/Angolan/Somali/Kenyan/Tanzanian/etc women are the most beautiful are any more correct than that white man.


All of these unnecessary divisions are foolish in my opinion. National identities are created and destroyed constantly. 100 years ago, there was no Kenyan national identity, no Nigerian identity, no Malawian identity, there wasn't a Pakistani identity or a South Korean identity either. And 1000 years ago there wasn't even an overarching black identity in Africa. All of these internet wars that are fought between nations are so arbitrary. Right now countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi are working towards a political and economic union to form a new country, while leaders of the African union are constantly working towards African unity and have spoken in favor of creating a unified African state. Why are people on here so backwards?


When I listen to Nigerian music or South African music I do not feel inferior or jealous or unworthy. I feels so proud. I feel proud of all African achievements. Yet some people on here have written posts claiming that Nigeria is the best country because it has the best music and everyone else is jealous and it has the biggest economy and is therefore untouchable and all other African countries are sub-par and nobody can match Nigeria's excellence etc, etc. By that "logic", the United States is undeniably the best country in the entire world and every African country can suck it (including Nigeria) because the United States has the most popular musicians in the world (and that's not changing any time soon) and has the world's largest economy (Nigeria isn't even in the top 25 largest world economies).


So please, can we move on from this childishness? As Kenyan, i see all African people as my brothers (even Cushites, idk what Axum says) and I know literally dozens, perhaps hundreds of people who see things the same way. So why so much foolishness here? We are all family. One Africa, One Fate.

There is never going to be a one state africa, it is impossible, to many complications. I think when it comes to African unity when it comes to african countries doing business with each other will work but thats where it ends. To be honest I prefer it that way for many reasons, the argument that we are all black should be the reason is ridiculous.

2 Likes

Foreign Affairs / America is Losing Global Influence - The Atlantic by anonymous6(f): 3:42pm On Oct 09, 2018
The Choice Facing a Declining United States
America can try to hold on to global hegemony as it slips from its grasp—or it can learn from Britain's mistakes.

In Nairobi National Park, a succession of concrete piers rises over the heads of rhinos and giraffes, part of a $13.8 billion rail project that will link Kenya’s capital with the Indian Ocean. It’s a project with the ambition and scale of global leadership, and the site safety posters are in the language of its engineers and builders: Chinese.

Four hundred miles further north, in one of Kenya’s city-sized refugee camps, there’s another sign of what global leadership used to look like: sacks of split peas, stamped USAID; a handful of young, quiet Americans working on idealistic development projects. I saw both this month, but one already looks like a relic of the past. The baton of global leadership is being passed from the U.S. to China.

In Africa, the evidence is everywhere. China will put nearly $90 billion into the continent this year, the United States nothing close. China is betting big on economic partnerships and dependencies along its new Silk Road, christened “One Belt, One Road.” The U.S., meanwhile, spends many of its dollars on expensive wars, to the detriment of soft-power projects like USAID, or domestic welfare programs like Medicaid.

America’s global influence is certain to decline relatively in the years ahead; it is the inevitable consequence of the return of the Middle Kingdom. As that happens, the U.S. should be more deliberate about the policy choices it makes. It’s a lesson I’ve seen my own country—which was once an empire, too—learn the hard way. On the way down from global hegemony, Britain came around too slowly to investing in domestic welfare. The U.S. should apply those lessons sooner.

The time is ripe. Its 45th president swung to power on the backs of voters worn out by the burden of expensive wars, tired of wartime austerity, and fed up with rising inequality. America has spent nearly $6 trillion on sustaining long-running conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Median wages haven’t gone up in decades. Its health-care inequality is a byword in failure, infant mortality barely better than that of developing countries, and some states’ death rates are soaring because of “diseases of despair.”

It’s clear that many voters gave up on the American empire. When they voted in 2016, they didn’t care for the international institutions the U.S. had so carefully constructed after World War II: nato; the United Nations; the World Bank. They didn’t care for their country to protect the liberal world order, to lead the “Free World.” Voters on the left and the right showed their readiness for a policy turn inwards. They wanted a country focused on domestic policies. (These are my own views, and not those of my organization.)

A similar thing happened in Britain after World War II. In 1945, the Labour leader Clement Attlee campaigned on bettering the lives of Britons at the bottom. He promised welfare over warfare: a national health service, social security, public housing. It won him the election; scoring an upset win against the man who had just brought Britain its finest victory in a global war, Winston Churchill.

But in the tumultuous years that followed, Attlee wasn’t able or willing to fully scale down spending on the army and the Empire. When Churchill came back after him in 1951, India and other colonies had already won their independence, but the over-spending on foreign intervention and the military remained. The result was a delay of the inevitable decline of the Empire, but also a half-baked welfare state, which couldn’t provide for its citizens the promises that Attlee envisaged.

During a series of international conflicts from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, Britain continued to lose not only territory in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, but also vast amounts of money and human capital, which could have otherwise been deployed to the betterment of its people. In Cyprus, Kenya, Oman, Yemen, the Suez Canal, the British possessions in Southeast Asia, and elsewhere, Britain spent vast amounts in a futile effort to retain some its imperial power.

I don’t long for the days of the British Empire. My family spent its vainglorious reign digging ironstone from the ground. The imperial sun never shone down the mine shafts of northeast England. But I know the end of the Empire did not mean the end of Britain, or that of the wellbeing of its citizens. Quite the contrary: the Britain I grew up in provided me and my family with educational opportunities and health care we’d never have known had Britain not attempted to build a welfare state at home.

Those of us on the global sidelines, America’s anxious auxiliaries, know a collapse in the instruments of a nation’s power when it happens. In Britain that collapse was precipitated by the left’s loathing of imperialism. In the United States, it has come from the right’s loathing of “globalism.”

America remains a global power, but in the world’s capitals, policymakers are now puzzling out which alliances and organizations will shape the future. Entropy rules over empire.

President Trump posed in Churchill’s armchair on a recent visit to Britain. A bust of Winston Churchill sits once more in the Oval Office. But in terms of America’s position on the world stage, Trump’s legacy may more resemble the one that Attlee set in motion. And Attlee is remembered and respected today not for an empire lost, but for a welfare state founded.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/08/americas-global-influence-is-declining/568708/

2 Likes

Foreign Affairs / Re: Black Student Group Complains University Is Letting In Too Many African Students by anonymous6(f): 3:37pm On Oct 09, 2018
MIKOLOWISKA:
the women you to be the next Beyonce or Kim Kardashian or worse LeBron baby mama

well you have a point, Beyonce is worshipped by many african american women, many of them are called beehive. I like some of beyonce's music and etc but I don't worship her or see her as the ultimate person a black women should look up to. Thankfully most african women don't worship her like that cause the cultures are different
Foreign Affairs / Re: Black Student Group Complains University Is Letting In Too Many African Students by anonymous6(f): 1:27am On Jul 31, 2018
okwabayi:
It's their land. They can demand whatever they want. Now, if only they can stop each other from abandoning education in the hope of becoming the next big rapper or ball player.

For the most part it is the men aspiring to be the next Lebron or Jay Z, Not all but many of them
Foreign Affairs / Is This 5-year-old Nigerian The 'most Beautiful Girl In The World'? - Yahoo by anonymous6(f): 1:20am On Jul 31, 2018
A photo of a 5-year-old Nigerian girl has hit it big on social media, racking up compliments such as “beautiful,” “absolutely stunning,” and “doll-like.”

On Friday, photographer Mofe Bamuyiwa Instagrammed a photo of the young girl named Jare, writing, “Oh yes she’s human! She’s also an angel!” The lifestyle-and-wedding photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria, explained that by positioning Jare in a more mature pose, she illustrated the intersection between child and adulthood.

Twenty-thousand people reacted on Instagram, writing that the photo was a “true work of art” and that Jare is the new Barbie.

“Jare isn’t a professional model,” Bamuyiwai tells Yahoo Lifestyle, adding that the girl’s two sisters, Jomi, 7, and Joba, 10, with their “striking features and strong characters,” have also posed for photos.


Bamuyiwai says she inspired the children’s mother to launch an Instagram page for her daughters called The J3 Sisters, where they already have more than 5K followers. The girls’ mother did not respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.

Bamuyiwai is surprised by the response to her photos. “All I want is for everyone to see Jare’s powerful potential. … I want the photo to speak to her when she has reached her adulthood.”

Jare is one of several child models to dominate social media. Seventeen-year-old French model Thylane Blondeau was branded “the most beautiful girl in the world” after her photos were published in a Vogue Paris supplement called Vogue Enfants, at the age of 6. By then she had already walked the runway for two years.

And in December, a 6-year-old Russian model named Anastasia Knyazeva was crowned by social media as Blondeau’s successor.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/4-year-old-nigerian-girl-beautiful-girl-world-214253179.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YusQ8Mi9MqY
Foreign Affairs / Re: Trump Is A Racist. Period. - The New York Times by anonymous6(f): 12:48am On Jan 17, 2018
bedspread:
Nyt
CNN
Shi..t bunch of Media Houses....
imagine CNN telling the whole wide world that the Fulani Herdsmen slaughtering is nothing but a simple Farm Dragging.... That's to show u how Fake they are.... Devilish Media

Trump is not a saint but these Guys are Haters of Trump... Tight from the Election periods...
They are yet to Recover from the emergence of President Donald Trump...

Oh please Donald is racist lol, it doesn't bother me but he has said other racist comments in the past for people to come to that conclusion that he is a racist. What donald needs to make sure is that he doesn't lose republican seats in the senate and house.

1 Like 1 Share

Foreign Affairs / Re: Trump Is A Racist. Period. - The New York Times by anonymous6(f): 12:46am On Jan 17, 2018
Ladyhippolyta88:
The NYT is correct but the man would call you "fake news".Everybody knows who trump is.

oh of course I know how Donald spins fake news but he has been doing that less lately. it is obvious that he is racist though, whether you side with him or not, his comments were racist and when you call white supremacist very fine people thats a wrap.
Celebrities / Re: People Are Accusing Rihanna Of Cultural Appropriation For Her Vogue Arabia Cover by anonymous6(f): 7:33pm On Jan 16, 2018
DCONE1:
Op post pic naaaa na wah for you oooh

ok lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0WxGjTIwY
Foreign Affairs / Trump Is A Racist. Period. - The New York Times by anonymous6(f): 7:30pm On Jan 16, 2018
I find nothing more useless than debating the existence of racism, particularly when you are surrounded by evidence of its existence. It feels to me like a way to keep you fighting against the water until you drown.

The debates themselves, I believe, render a simple concept impossibly complex, making the very meaning of “racism” frustratingly murky.

So, let’s strip that away here. Let’s be honest and forthright.

Racism is simply the belief that race is an inherent and determining factor in a person’s or a people’s character and capabilities, rendering some inferior and others superior. These beliefs are racial prejudices.

The history of America is one in which white people used racism and white supremacy to develop a racial caste system that advantaged them and disadvantaged others.

Understanding this, it is not a stretch to understand that Donald Trump’s words and deeds over the course of his life have demonstrated a pattern of expressing racial prejudices that demean people who are black and brown and that play to the racial hostilities of other white people.

It is not a stretch to say that Trump is racist. It’s not a stretch to say that he is a white supremacist. It’s not a stretch to say that Trump is a bigot.

Those are just facts, supported by the proof of the words that keep coming directly from him. And, when he is called out for his racism, his response is never to ameliorate his rhetoric, but to double down on it.

I know of no point during his entire life where he has apologized for, repented of, or sought absolution for any of his racist actions or comments.

Instead, he either denies, deflects or amps up the attack.

Trump is a racist. We can put that baby to bed.

“Racism” and “racist” are simply words that have definitions, and Trump comfortably and unambiguously meets those definitions.

We have unfortunately moved away from the simple definition of racism, to the point where the only people to whom the appellation can be safely applied are the vocal, violent racial archetypes.

Racism doesn’t require hatred, constant expression, or even conscious awareness. We want racism to be fringe rather than foundational. But, wishing isn’t an effective method of eradication.

We have to face this thing, stare it down and fight it back.

The simple acknowledgment that Trump is a racist is the easy part. The harder, more substantive part is this: What are we going to do about it?

First and foremost, although Trump is not the first president to be a racist, we must make him the last. If by some miracle he should serve out his first term, he mustn’t be allowed a second. Voters of good conscience must swarm the polls in 2020.

But before that, those voters must do so later this year, to rid the House and the Senate of as many of Trump’s defenders, apologists and accomplices as possible. Should the time come where impeachment is inevitable, there must be enough votes in the House and Senate to ensure it.

We have to stop thinking that we can somehow separate what racists believe from how they will behave. We must stop believing that any of Trump’s actions are clear of the venom coursing through his convictions. Everything he does is an articulation of who he is and what he believes. Therefore, all policies he supports, positions he takes and appointments he makes are suspect.

And finally, we have to stop giving a pass to the people — whether elected official or average voter — who support and defend his racism. If you defend racism you are part of the racism. It doesn’t matter how much you say that you’re an egalitarian, how much you say that you are race blind, how much you say that you are only interested in people’s policies and not their racist polemics.

As the brilliant James Baldwin once put it: “I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.” When I see that in poll after poll a portion of Trump’s base continues to support his behavior, including on race, I can only conclude that there is no real daylight between Trump and his base. They are part of his racism.

When I see the extraordinary hypocrisy of elected officials who either remain silent in the wake of Trump’s continued racist outbursts or who obliquely condemn him, only to in short order return to defending and praising him and supporting his agenda, I see that there is no real daylight between Trump and them either. They too are part of his racism.

When you see it this way, you understand the enormity and the profundity of what we are facing. There were enough Americans who were willing to accept Trump’s racism to elect him. There are enough people in Washington willing to accept Trump’s racism to defend him. Not only is Trump racist, the entire architecture of his support is suffused with that racism. Racism is a fundamental component of the Trump presidency.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/opinion/trump-racist-shithole.html
Foreign Affairs / Re: Lupita Nyong’o: Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein - New York Times by anonymous6(f): 9:35pm On Oct 31, 2017
Foreign Affairs / Lupita Nyong’o: Speaking Out About Harvey Weinstein - New York Times by anonymous6(f): 9:31pm On Oct 31, 2017
I have been following the news and reading the accounts of women coming forward to talk about being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein and others. I had shelved my experience with Harvey far in the recesses of my mind, joining in the conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years. I had felt very much alone when these things happened, and I had blamed myself for a lot of it, quite like many of the other women who have shared their stories.

But now that this is being discussed openly, I have not been able to avoid the memories resurfacing. I have felt sick in the pit of my stomach. I have felt such a flare of rage that the experience I recount below was not a unique incident with me, but rather part of a sinister pattern of behavior.

I met Harvey Weinstein in 2011 at an awards ceremony in Berlin, while I was still a student at the Yale School of Drama. An intermediary introduced him to me as “the most powerful producer in Hollywood.” As an aspiring actress, I was of course eager to meet people in the industry but cautious about strangers, and the intentions of men in general. So I tried to vet this famous producer by asking my dinner-table companions what they knew of him. A woman who was a producer herself cautiously advised me to “keep Harvey in your corner.” She said: “He is a good man to know in the business, but just be careful around him. He can be a bully.” And so I exchanged contacts with him in the hopes that I would be considered for one of his projects. I wanted to keep things professional, so I made a point of referring to him as “Mr. Weinstein.” But he insisted that I call him by his first name. In this first encounter, I found him to be very direct and authoritative, but also charming. He didn’t quite put me at ease, but he didn’t alarm me, either.

Not long after we met in Berlin, Harvey wrote to me inviting me to attend a screening of a film — a competitor’s film similar to one he had produced. He said we would be watching it with his family at his home in Westport, Conn., which was not far away from New Haven, where I was living at the time. He would send a car to pick me up. I accepted the invitation.

The driver and I met Harvey in the little town of Westport, where he informed me that we would be having lunch at a restaurant before getting to his home. I did not think much of this. It was a busy restaurant, and as soon as we sat down he ordered a vodka and diet soda for himself. I asked for a juice. Harvey was unimpressed with my choice and told the waiter to bring me a vodka and diet soda instead. I declined and said I wanted the juice. We went back and forth until finally he turned to the waiter and said, “Get her what I tell you to get her. I’m the one paying the bill.” I smiled and remained silent. The waiter left and returned with a vodka and diet soda for me. He placed it on the table beside my water. I drank the water. Harvey told me that I needed to drink the vodka and diet soda. I informed him that I would not.

“Why not?” I remember him asking. “Because I don’t like vodka, and I don’t like diet soda, and I don’t like them together,” I said. “You are going to drink that,” he insisted. I smiled again and said that I wouldn’t. He gave up and called me stubborn. I said, “I know.” And the meal proceeded without much further ado. In this second encounter with Harvey, I found him to be pushy and idiosyncratic more than anything.

We got to his home after lunch and I met his domestic staff and his young children. He took me on a brief tour of the house before he rounded us all up in the screening room to watch the film. He had just produced a similar film of his own, but everyone was raving about this rival version.

I settled in for the film, but about 15 minutes in, Harvey came for me, saying he wanted to show me something. I protested that I wanted to finish the film first, but he insisted I go with him, laying down the law as though I too was one of his children. I did not want another back-and-forth in front of his kids, so I complied and left the room with him. I explained that I really wanted to see the film. He said we’d go back shortly.

Harvey led me into a bedroom — his bedroom — and announced that he wanted to give me a massage. I thought he was joking at first. He was not. For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe. I panicked a little and thought quickly to offer to give him one instead: It would allow me to be in control physically, to know exactly where his hands were at all times.

Part of our drama school curriculum at Yale included body work, using massage techniques on one another to understand the connection between body, mind and emotion, and so I felt I could rationalize giving him one and keep a semblance of professionalism in spite of the bizarre circumstance. He agreed to this and lay on the bed. I began to massage his back to buy myself time to figure out how to extricate myself from this undesirable situation. Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants. I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that. “If we’re not going to watch the film, I really should head back to school,” I said.

I opened the door and stood by the frame. He put his shirt on and again mentioned how stubborn I was. I agreed with an easy laugh, trying to get myself out of the situation safely. I was after all on his premises, and the members of his household, the potential witnesses, were all (strategically, it seems to me now) in a soundproof room.

Earlier Harvey had sent the driver to the store to buy a boxed collection of “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” an HBO show that he had produced. This was the project he thought I would be right for, he said. (I later found out that the show had not been on the air for some time.) As I prepared to leave his home, he presented it to me. He wanted me to check it out and let him know what I thought. He would be in touch about it. I left for New Haven with his driver.

I didn’t quite know how to process the massage incident. I reasoned that it had been inappropriate and uncalled-for, but not overtly sexual. I was entering into a business where the intimate is often professional and so the lines are blurred. I was in an educational program where I was giving massages to my classmates and colleagues every day. Though the incident with Harvey had made me uncomfortable, I was able to explain and justify it to myself, and shelve it as an awkward moment. His offer to me to be a part of the HBO show was a very attractive one and I was excited about it, especially as I would be graduating in another year. I didn’t know how to proceed without jeopardizing my future. But I knew I would not be accepting any more visits to private spaces with Harvey Weinstein.

I decided to invite Harvey to come to a production I was in at school. Perhaps that way he would really see what I had to offer, and he would see my colleagues, too. He accepted the invitation, but the night of the production, he sent a message saying he had been caught up in New York and would be unable to attend. He would make it up to me. So when I received an official invitation to a staged reading of his new Broadway show, “Finding Neverland,” I was not surprised. I was still debating whether I should accept his invitation, and so I responded saying I was not certain that I could make it because of my school schedule. He responded with exactly the words I needed to hear: Come with whomever you want to come with. And so I invited two of my trusted male friends.

We attended the reading, and afterward Harvey invited us all to a restaurant for dinner with his comrades and collaborators. He sat me next to him, and another actress sat across from me. He had my friends sit at a different table. The talk was shop the whole time and Harvey held court with ease. He was charming and funny once more, and I felt confused about the discomfort I had previously experienced. I looked at the actress who I was informed had just worked with him on a project, searching her face for any sort of indication that she too had been made to feel uncomfortable by this powerful man, but of course I saw nothing. We did not stay very long because we had to catch a train back to New Haven. My friends had been equally charmed by Harvey. He knew when to turn it on if he wanted something. He was definitely a bully, but he could be really charming, which was disarming and confusing. I left feeling that perhaps he had learned my boundaries and was going to respect them.

A couple of months later, I received an email from Harvey, inviting me again to New York for a screening of “W.E.” After the screening, we would have drinks in TriBeCa. I then received a phone call from one of his male assistants to arrange my transportation. Feeling more confident about the new sense of boundaries that we had established in our last meeting, I attended the screening on my own this time. Afterward, as planned, his male assistant arranged for me to get to the Tribeca Grill, where Harvey would be joining us. I met a female assistant when I arrived there. I was expecting that it would be a group of us, as it had been for the reading, but she informed me it would just be Mr. Weinstein. She would sit with me until he arrived. She seemed on edge, but I could only imagine how stressful it was to work for a man who had so much going on.

Harvey arrived and the assistant immediately disappeared. We ordered drinks and starters. Again he was offended by my nonalcoholic beverage choice but he didn’t fight me on it as hard. Before the starters arrived, he announced: “Let’s cut to the chase. I have a private room upstairs where we can have the rest of our meal.” I was stunned. I told him I preferred to eat in the restaurant. He told me not to be so naïve. If I wanted to be an actress, then I had to be willing to do this sort of thing. He said he had dated Famous Actress X and Y and look where that had gotten them.

I was silent for a while before I mustered up the courage to politely decline his offer. “You have no idea what you are passing up,” he said. “With all due respect, I would not be able to sleep at night if I did what you are asking, so I must pass,” I replied.

His whole demeanor changed at that point. “Then I guess we are two ships passing in the night.” I had never heard that saying before, so I remember asking him what it meant. “It means just that,” he said. “We are two ships going in two different directions.”

“Yes, I guess we are.”

“So we are done here,” he said. “You can leave.”

We got up, having not eaten anything, and he led me out of the restaurant. My heart was beating very fast. A cab was hailed for me. I said I would take the subway (I could not afford a cab at the time), but he handed me some money and told me not to be silly, take the cab. Before I got in, I needed to make sure that I had not awakened a beast that would go on to ruin my name and destroy my chances in the business even before I got there.

“I just want to know that we are good,” I said.

“I don’t know about your career, but you’ll be fine,” he said. It felt like both a threat and a reassurance at the same time; of what, I couldn’t be sure.

I did not see Harvey again until September 2013 when I was in Toronto for the premiere of “12 Years a Slave,” the first feature film I was in. At an after-party, he found me and evicted whoever was sitting next to me to sit beside me. He said he couldn’t believe how fast I had gotten to where I was, and that he had treated me so badly in the past. He was ashamed of his actions and he promised to respect me moving forward. I said thank you and left it at that. But I made a quiet promise to myself to never ever work with Harvey Weinstein.

Not long after I won the Academy Award in 2014, I received an offer to play a role in one of the Weinstein Company’s forthcoming films. I knew I would not do it simply because it was the Weinstein Company, but I did not feel comfortable telling this to anybody. I turned down the role, but Harvey would not take no for an answer. While at Cannes, he insisted on meeting with me in person. I agreed to do it only because my agent would be present. In the meeting, he was honest about intending to persuade me to do his movie. I told him I simply did not feel it was a role I needed to play. He said he was open to making it bigger, more significant, maybe they could add a love scene. He said if I did this one for him, he would do another one for me — basically guaranteeing backing a star-vehicle film for me. I ran out of ways of politely saying no and so did my agent. I was so exasperated by the end that I just kept quiet. Harvey finally accepted my position and expressed that he still wanted to work with me at some point. “Thank you, I hope so,” I lied.

And that was the last of my personal encounters with Harvey Weinstein. I share all of this now because I know now what I did not know then. I was part of a growing community of women who were secretly dealing with harassment by Harvey Weinstein. But I also did not know that there was a world in which anybody would care about my experience with him. You see, I was entering into a community that Harvey Weinstein had been in, and even shaped, long before I got there. He was one of the first people I met in the industry, and he told me, “This is the way it is.” And wherever I looked, everyone seemed to be bracing themselves and dealing with him, unchallenged. I did not know that things could change. I did not know that anybody wanted things to change. So my survival plan was to avoid Harvey and men like him at all costs, and I did not know that I had allies in this.

Fortunately for me, I have not dealt with any such incidents in the business since. And I think it is because all the projects I have been a part of have had women in positions of power, along with men who are feminists in their own right who have not abused their power. What I am most interested in now is combating the shame we go through that keeps us isolated and allows for harm to continue to be done. I wish I had known that there were women in the business I could have talked to. I wish I had known that there were ears to hear me. That justice could be served. There is clearly power in numbers. I thank the women who have spoken up and given me the strength to revisit this unfortunate moment in my past.

Our business is complicated because intimacy is part and parcel of our profession; as actors we are paid to do very intimate things in public. That’s why someone can have the audacity to invite you to their home or hotel and you show up. Precisely because of this we must stay vigilant and ensure that the professional intimacy is not abused. I hope we are in a pivotal moment where a sisterhood — and brotherhood of allies — is being formed in our industry. I hope we can form a community where a woman can speak up about abuse and not suffer another abuse by not being believed and instead being ridiculed. That’s why we don’t speak up — for fear of suffering twice, and for fear of being labeled and characterized by our moment of powerlessness. Though we may have endured powerlessness at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, by speaking up, speaking out and speaking together, we regain that power. And we hopefully ensure that this kind of rampant predatory behavior as an accepted feature of our industry dies here and now.


Now that we are speaking, let us never shut up about this kind of thing. I speak up to make certain that this is not the kind of misconduct that deserves a second chance. I speak up to contribute to the end of the conspiracy of silence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/opinion/lupita-nyongo-harvey-weinstein.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region&_r=0
Celebrities / People Are Accusing Rihanna Of Cultural Appropriation For Her Vogue Arabia Cover by anonymous6(f): 9:15pm On Oct 31, 2017
Rihanna is facing backlash on social media for her latest Vogue Arabia cover.

The singer is being criticized for cultural appropriation of Egyptian culture by channeling Queen Nefertiti on the November issue.

Many on Twitter felt that the publication should've used a model of Egyptian or Arab descent instead.

This isn't the first time that Vogue Arabia's cover star has come under fire.

Gigi and Bella Hadid were criticized earlier this year, while Kendall Jenner faced backlash for her Vogue India cover as well.

Neither Vogue Arabia or Rihanna have responded.

Rihanna is coming under fire for her recent Vogue Arabia cover. The 29-year-old singer, who posed for the publication’s November issue, is being criticized for representing an Arabian magazine, despite not being Arab — a criticism other non-Arab celebrities and models have faced for past covers.

The cover featured Rihanna channeling Queen Nefertiti, an Egyptian royal ruler from the 1300s, with snakeskin coat, metallic blue eyeshadow, a blue-and-gold headdress modeled after the one worn by Nefertiti.

And though Rihanna, who coincidentally has a tattoo of Nefertiti on her ribcage, saw dozens of positive comments gushing over her drool-worthy cover, the singer also faced critics who believed an Arab or Egyptian model should have posed for the cover. (Rihanna is of Barbadian, Irish, and Afro-Guyanese descent—areas not considered a part of the Arab world. )

The backlash ranged from calls of cultural appropriation (considering Rihanna was portraying an Egyptian woman, despite not being Egyptian) to claims that Vogue Arabia perpetuated the notion that black and African people are interchangeable.

Rihannaisn’t the only celebrity who has been criticized for posing on amagazinecover for a country they have no ethnic ties to. Gigi and Bella Hadid have seen similar backlash for posing for Vogue Arabia, while Kendall Jenner was also criticized for modeling for Vogue India in May. Some users, who considered the backlash against Rihanna not as vocal as the others, called out the internet for its alleged hypocrisy.

So far, neither Vogue Arabia norRihannahas responded to the backlash. However, Vogue Arabia‘s Editor-in-Chief, Manuel Arnaut, did mention that cover was meant to signify diversity in his editor’s letter, which will likely stir up more controversy on the internet.

We are dedicating the issue to strong and dynamic women who are changing the world,” Arnaut wrote. “Rihanna, our cover star, is one of them. Not only is she one of the most successful pop icons ever, shaping the entertainment industry with her powerful tunes and unique sense of style, she is also an advocate for diversity.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/rihanna-vogue-arabia-cover-backlash-2017-10
Foreign Affairs / Re: Black Student Group Complains University Is Letting In Too Many African Students by anonymous6(f): 5:58am On Oct 05, 2017
beamtopola:
imagine, blacks will be complaining against white discrimination in USA ,the same blacks will be so hubris to interact with people in Africa, what an irony. This is why I don't pity them when they start baiting race. All the black artistes in USA will be looking down on black artiste in Nigeria, later them will be complaining that Trump is a racist. Police should keep killing them for all I care. later they will be screaming, white are racists. If you don't like white, then why are you in USA .? come back and join us in Africa and see the suffering over here, so that you will know that the USA you were, was a paradise and you will always be grateful to the white republicans that abolished slavery.ingrate!

yup, so true, I'm Nigerian american born and raised in America, there is racism in America no doubt but some black americans use it as a crutch over and over again while africans just for the most part keep it moving even when we experience it cause African struggle is worse then the struggles in America for sure.

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