Ethiopian Retail Establishments Protest Israeli Treatment of Africans

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DC Israel Embassy Protest, Diaspora Eritreans, Georgia Avenue, Harrar Coffee and Roastery, Howard University

The other day, the guy photographed above got me to drop by Harrar Coffee and Roastery, not something I would usually do as my coffee preferences do not normally extend beyond Starbucks Frappuccinos.

I did not consumer any products from the Georgia Ave establishment (it’s just north of Howard), but I was very interested to see this poster promoting a January 22 protest march in front of the Embassy of Israel by diaspora Eritreans calling on Israel to respect the rights of African refugees.

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DMV Nigerians Rally for President Goodluck Jonathan

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DMV Nigerians, Goodluck Jonathan, GSG USA, Nigeria, Nigeria elections, Nigerian Politics, PDP, Sllver Spring

Browsing the web this weekend, I discovered a Facebook page, as well as a website for a ‘Goodluck Support Group USA – DC/MD/VA’.  With elections due in Nigeria next year, Goodluck Jonathan’s party the, People’s Democratic Party, has been rocked by a wave of prominent defections and the abrupt resignation of its Chairman.  On the international scene, Jonathan has been widely criticized for signing anti-gay legislation.

It certainly seems like Jonathan is in need of some support and good luck.  I don’t see too many specifics on the support group, but they plan to host a politics and pancakes breakfast, hold mobilization meetings, and a town hall gathering in June (which as the Sierra Leone government learned in Silver Spring, has the potential to backfire).  They are also soliciting volunteers.

Honoring Mandela at Howard Tomorrow (and Through a T-shirt Today)

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Bob Marley, Che Guevara, Embassy of South Africa, Georgia Avenue, Howard University, Nelson Mandela

As Howard University and the Embassy of South Africa prepare to honor the memory of Nelson Mandela tomorrow evening, I’ve noted an upswing in the amount of Mandela paraphernalia on the DC marketplace.

This weekend, I saw a wholesaler in the vicinity of Union Market  with a stock of Nelson Mandela t-shirts hanging in their window.  Yesterday, I was walking along Georgia Ave just north of Howard, and passed a similar storefront scene.  I wonder if this apparel will continue to gain prominence in the way that t-shirts of men with much shorter lives, such as Che Guevara and Bob Marley have become staples.  Perhaps this indicates that Mandela is seen by some as more of an anti-establishment icon than is generally accepted?

Newer readers can find some of my brief thoughts on Georgia Ave here.

Local Guineans Fundraise for Education in Guinea via Basketball Tournament

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Baltimore, basketball, Bossa Bistro and Lounge, Gallice Jr, Guinea, Nectar Lounge, PromoGuinee, sports in development

Sports in development is an emerging though often overlooked field.  Speaking on a personal basis, my involvement in track was critical to my development as a youth.

Accordingly, I was interested to learn of the Baltimore based organization, PromoGuinee, which just hosted (November 29-30) a benefit basketball tournament for its work supporting the education of seconary school youth in Guinea – Conakry.  You can watch the promo video for the tournament here and learn more about the work of PromoGuinee here.

I know nothing about African sports leagues in the DMV, but this is something I hope to explore further.  It must have been a very fun weekend as there was an after party for the event at Nectar Lounge in Silver Spring on Saturday and another party the day before (with some of the better promotional artwork I’ve seen) in Adams Morgan:

Wole Soyinka at Howard University: In Praise of Rwanda’s Kagame and in Defiance of Gambia’s Jammeh, Or Tearing a New one for African Leaders

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Abdoulaye Wade, Boko Haram, Congo, Gambia, Howard University, Laurent Gbagbo, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, Wole Soyinka, Yahya jammeh

At Howard University last evening (only my second time there for an event), Wole Soyinka ostensibly spoke on the theme of ‘Rwanda: Paradigm for a Continent.’  The scene was set by a call and response between the Howard administrator presiding over the event and the predominantly student audience, something that was a far cry from the staid environment at events at the New England liberal arts school I attended.

The Nigerian Wole Soyinka, one of the continent’s undisputed intellectual giants gave an extremely hard hitting talk, which was as much about Gambia being a blight on Africa’s image than Rwanda being its savior.  Keep reading for Soyinka’s thoughts and why his handling of a Q&A made me lose all respect for him, after a pretty good set of prepared remarks.

Weekend African Music in DC #2: Internationally Known West Africa at Tropicalia

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Amkoullel, Chosan, Dumi RIght, Magee McIlvaine, Mali rap, Nomadic Wax, Tropicalia, VOA, Waterflow

Before heading over to Lux Lounge and Timaya late on Friday night, I attended an earlier show at Tropicalia.  That venue has hosted several Internationally Known hip-hop nights over the past year, and Friday’s was the first that I was able to attend.  Sahelblog and a couple of African music watchers from the VOA were also on hand, although the crowd was heartbreakingly small (come on DC!).