South African Musical Icon Hugh Masekela Is Coming To The Dakota Jazz Club

by Nelima Bra Hugh Masekela is a musical genius who plays the trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn and cornet; he is a great singer and composer as well as a master storyteller, activist and history teacher (by way of his music). At 72 he is still going strong and will be performing two shows a day on … Continue reading »

Dec 18th: Somali Entertainment Awards at The Cedar Cultural Center

by Nelima The Blue Carpet Awards are upon us again, this time at The Cedar Cultural Center. It’s bound to be a sold out event so if you haven’t got a ticket, do so soon. Details can be found below. Continue reading »

World AIDS Day Thoughts And Events

I didn’t have a heartfelt World AIDS day story this time round. I couldn’t even post a tweet with alarming statistics of some sort – hence my late post. It took me a while to sort out my feelings after which I realized that I’m not any less passionate about the issue.  It’s just that … Continue reading »

African Music Ensemble Fall Concert at the UMN

If you haven’t attended one of these you should. Watching Sowah Mensa and his protegés play an array of African instruments ranging from drums and flutes to the xylophone is a real treat! Best of all – the concert is free Event Information Date: 12/02/11 Time: 8:00pm – 9:30pm Location: Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall  - Ferguson … Continue reading »

International Movie Star in Minneapolis Aug 16th

Ghanain heartthrob and much adored African actor, Van Vicker, will be back in Minnesota promoting ‘Raj, The Dancer’ which is his second movie as a producer and director. Van Vicker gained global attention as Raj in the hit movie ‘Beyonce’, but this new Raj is not a continuation of the former one. According to Van’s … Continue reading »

Twin Cities World (Africa) Refugee Day Celebrations

What is today known as International or World Refugee Day was first declared as African Refugee Day by the African Union. Africa hosts the most refugees in the world and in 2001 the African Union and UN agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with the June 20th Africa Refugee Day. Minnesota is home to … Continue reading »

Al Jazeera’s Rageh Omaar in Minneapolis

This is a short notice, I just learned about this event (scroll to the bottom of this page for details on event). Rageh Omaar is an internationally renowned reporter. He worked for the BBC for a few years where he covered the conflicts in Somalia and Iraq. However, what makes Omaar stand out and what … Continue reading »

What happened to the $10 dollars you donated to charity last year?

by Nelima If you are a fan of Dambisa Moyo’s Dead AID,  ’What are we doing here?’ is a documentary you may want to watch. Here’s a synposis, for more information visit their website by clicking here. WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? explores why the charity given to Africa over the last five decades has … Continue reading »

What are YOU doing this weekend?

by Nelima Another weekend is fast approaching. If you haven’t got any plans, perhaps we can help out with that. We’ve got a coupla suggestions; Arts: There will be a tour of the African gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on Saturday at 2pm. Causes: One Twin Cities will be hosting a ‘Kick It … Continue reading »

The Globalization of African Cities: The Case of Nairobi Kenya

by Nelima Dr. Kefa M. Otiso of Bowling Green State University will be here April 24th giving a talk on Globalization of African Cities using Nairobi, Kenya as a case study. When: April 25th, noon-1pm Where: Macalester, Olin Rice 250 The globalization of African cities has grown significantly in the past two decades in responsto … Continue reading »