bigfrancis21:

Aww! That's a cute name. Means 'good God'. Chi - God. Oma - good.

Yes the meaning of my birth name has a similar meaning.

This past weekend I went to an Igbo Christmas party. There was a masquerade. I recorded it but unfortunately the clip is too long to share.

peezle:

She is thus Christened UGONWANNE as her Igbo name.
Ugonwanne you pop the question you have about Nigeria. There are elders and sages here to answer *grabs his nzu and makes his mark on the dirty earth, clears his throat, reclines on his chair then brings out his snff box..taps it thrice for good measure takes two nosefuls then says in Obama's voice "bring it on"*

Awww...I wanted the name Chioma!!

bigfrancis21: Igbos and AAs share a lot of resemblance. Below are pictures from the Umu Igbo 9th Convention held at Dallas Texas recently. From the images, you'll find it difficult to differentiate.

http://trendyafrica.com/events/association/umu-igbo-9th-convention-in-dallas/













The one on the right looks like Rihanna.



Notice the ladies wearing beautiful native attires. You could sow one of the styles of your choice.

Nice! I enjoy myself at Igbo parties. I went to one last year and the majority of it was in Igbo. I had a confused look on my face and my friends just laughed at me. I could not tell you what they were saying. Going to the parties is a good experience. I encourage black Americans to attend so that they can see true African culture. That has been a difficult mission to accomplish.

Most of the individuals in the pictures have familiar faces. What I mean by that is that I have seen American black people who look similar to them.

bigfrancis21:

@Bold...that's true.

Native african attires can be beautiful. Do get some ready. You'll love them!

I'm in the process of looking at fabric. It has been difficult because I do not know what to buy. What I do not like is the texture of the wax fabric. Hopefully I will have one made at the beginning of next year. The attire is very beautiful and I can't wait to get my dress made.

bigfrancis21:

Wow. You look like an Igbo girl from Enugu state. You look so much like my maternal cousin from Enugu state.

Looks like you were also wearing a native African attire or something?

That's what the Igbos tell me as well. I have noticed the resemblance between Igbos and AA's. We are definitely indistinguishable! I have not had very much exposure around different African ethnic groups. I have never met or seen a Ghanaian, Cameroonian and etc.When I'm told I look like them I have a blank look on my face. In my lifetime I have only met Nigerians and Ethiopians.

Now that you mentioned my blouse it does have an African attire look. No it's not though I'm currently working on getting some dresses made though. The dresses are beautiful!

bigfrancis21:

A DNA test would definitely be the best determinant.

I added my picture to my profile. From that picture which group(s) do I look similar to?

It looks like I need to invest in a DNA test to find out about my African ancestry. In addition to Igbo I am now told that I look Yoruba, Cameroonian, Ghanaian and Ethiopian. Ethiopian is definitely not correct because I am of west-Central African descent.I have never been so confused.

bigfrancis21:

Ok. Slaves from Central Africa were more dominant in California. However, Igbo slaves were found there too, in sprinkles. You could as well be descended from the few Igbo ancestors there, who knows.

My family made their way from the south to California. My grandpas family (Maternal) originated from Savannah Georgia. When slavery ended they moved to Oklahoma and then to Texas. Some have moved from Texas to California. We have a lot of history in Texas. On my grandmas side (Maternal) they originated from Virginia. One of my ancestors from Virginia was sold and ended up in Mississippi. I do believe until this day that I have family members in Virginia but I don't know who they are.

Yes you are correct about Igbo and AA women relations. I know a lot of AA women who have been married to Igbo men for a long time. An Igbo man has been pursuing me for over a year. He is the greatest man I have ever met.

OP I recommend that you read Things Fall Apart by the late Chinua Achebe. An Igbo elder to me to read the book as it will give me a better understanding of Igbos.

bigfrancis21:

That's a lovely admission from you. Thanks!

Where in the US are you from?

I'm from California.

E-Engineer:
. Welcome to the great igbo family, kekwaanu. Chukwu gozie gi.how is the relationship btw african americans and igbos? I hope it is cool.

Thank you! I love being apart of the Igbos! When it comes to Igbo and African Americans relations I will not be able to give an accurate answer. I would have to do some research on the topic.I can only speak on my experience which has been positive. I find Igbos to be the friendliest and more accepting of foreigners. I'm considered a honorary Igbo and I feel honored by that.

Good luck wih the DNA test. I have an interest in doing one but I am not sure as to how accurate they are. It is unforntuate that we were robbed of our heritage. Everyone else knows their heritage for free and we have to pay to find out what ours is. I spend a lot of time with Nigerians who are Igbo. I feel so connected with them. They tell me that I look like an Igbo girl and they pretty much took me in. I am treated as if I am one of them and they even want me to wear their attire. I attend their events and I have a good time. They are a very friendly and welcoming group of people. Because of where my family is from in the US I know for a fact that I do not have Igbo roots. Even though I do not have ties to igboland I basically adopted it as my ancestral land.

FunnyPikin.com:
Wow, what a lovely attire from the untiring Big sister in Nollywood. She is lovely.
What Do You Think?

Source>
http://www.funnypikin.com/2013/04/actress-bukky-wrights-new-look-in_23.html

She is very pretty! The way that she is dressed is classy & feminine!

Oh no!! Is there an update on her status? I live in the US so it's hard to stay updated.

I can only go as far back as American South 1895. We know nothing of our family history the elders in my family never asked questions.

July 24th I have yet to meet some one who has the same birthday.

I have been listening to The Beat 99.9 for a week. So far I like it.I was suprised that they played a lot of music by Black American entertainers. Dont get me wrong they do play other music as well. When I first listened to the radio station I wasn't convinced that it was a Nigerian radio station at first. But anyways to me their accent doesn't sound like a fake American accent. It sounds like a British accent or something else.

Btw for Iphone users apple has an app called Tuneln Radio. You can search for and listen to music from around the world just as long as the station streams on the Internet.

I'm a California native as well born and raised. I live in the center of California. It's great for traveling because the travel is 3hrs North & 3hrs South. Another thing I like about living in the center is the fact that I don't have to worry about Earth Quakes or Tsunami's.

Which west African group does Celia Cruz resemble?
http://blackgirlsrock./2009/11/25/rockstar-of-the-week-celia-cruz/

I don't know any of these men but I think Ikenna, P Square, #7,#8 & #9 are some fine looking men !!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/09/AR2006020902304.html

A documentary about four inner-city boys who escape a life of poverty, violence and educational failure to discover their potential at a boarding school in Kenya -- sounds like spinach, right?

Well, "The Boys of Baraka," which follows a group of Baltimore middle school students as they attend the experimental Baraka School, may be nourishing. But it's also rich, sweet, densely layered and deeply satisfying. A film that might have been a dry exercise in earnest nonfiction filmmaking becomes a soaring, artistically complex testament to survival, character and hope.

Through the deeply affecting stories of its four remarkable main characters, "The Boys of Baraka" takes such slogans as "it takes a village" or "a mind is a terrible thing to waste" beyond bumper stickers, reflecting their sentiments not as truisms but truth. What's more, the film never reverts to easy answers or the dreaded blame game; rather, it lets viewers decide what children are being left behind and why.

"The Boys of Baraka" opens like an episode of the HBO series "The Wire," on the mean streets of Baltimore, where a group of anonymous youngsters fight and get arrested. But what looks like a series of edgy confrontations turns out to be a particularly grim tableau vivant as it is revealed that the boys are only playacting what they clearly see every day of their lives.

Then, in a vivid montage, we enter the Baltimore public school system, where we meet 13-year-old Richard and his younger brother Romesh, and Montrey and Devon, both 12. Smart, feisty and brimming with the bravado and anxiety typical of adolescent boys, these youngsters are what bureaucrats call "at risk," being reared by single mothers or grandparents while their parents are imprisoned or fighting drug addiction; and being largely forgotten by a huge educational bureaucracy.


In just a few brief and eloquent scenes, filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady convey just how hopeless the boys' situation is and how hemmed in they are by circumstances beyond their control; in one particularly poetic shot, the chaos and dysfunction of the city school system are summed up in a pool of spilled milk on a cafeteria bench.

Hope arrives in the form of Mavis Jackson, a representative from the Baraka School, which was founded in rural Kenya in 1996 by educators interested in providing a boarding school experience for male Baltimore middle school students who otherwise may end up dropping out, going to prison or dying young. Richard, Romesh, Montrey and Devon -- each a highly charismatic character in his own right -- are chosen along with 16 other kids to attend Baraka for two years, after which they should be prepared both intellectually and emotionally to enter Baltimore's most competitive high schools.

Things don't necessarily work out as planned, however, and although "The Boys of Baraka" reaches unexpected heights of emotion as the boys discover hidden reserves of vulnerability and resilience in the gorgeous East African countryside, it concludes with a series of painful setbacks.

Throughout this skillfully shot and edited film, Ewing and Grady tell a breathtaking visual story, with images gracefully conveying what reams of statistics could only hint at. Their sharp eye is particularly evident in their unforgettable portraits of their subjects, such as when their camera lingers on Devon while he watches a video Christmas card with increasing discomfort, his friends looking on as he hears that his mother has managed to stay out of jail and off drugs.

"The Boys of Baraka" ends on an ambiguous note; as grim reality threatens to engulf their fragile hold on the future, it's not clear who will make it and who won't. But the bigger mystery is how and why their communities -- their families, their neighborhoods, their city, all of us -- have forsaken these promising young men. "The Boys of Baraka" is a spirited, sad, moving and beautiful film, but more important, it's a galvanizing one that challenges viewers, once they've cried over that spilled milk, to do something more.

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kODCiXbO83w

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wgrRRp-olc

Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwkTgRs7c5Y

Part 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaUy3-ZyAEU

Part 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPAPS-D80hE

Part 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf0CV9fqWQI

This is an interesting documentary.

Being diagnosed with alopecia was the reason why I gave up perms. My hair has been perm free for over 2 years now. I have gone back to strickly press n comb & flatirons. Between the 2 my hair gets straight enough to wear down. Instead of perming my edges I use Murray's Pomade to slick my edges. I have noticed that my hair is healthier now then before. The problems that I have so far are with my roots and when my hair gets washed my hair tangles really bad. I have yet to find a detangler that actually works. Do anyone have any suggestions?

DaRapture:

They are so cute!! Your son looks similar to one of my little cousins. The only difference is that his mom is Creole.

Not very much because no answers my questions. I have interest in Nigerian culture.