#Paris2024: Celebrating Liberia

 

On its independence day...

#Paris2024: And the games started...

On my first day, I was sent to the African Village, known as 'Station Afrique' in French.

It's set in Île-Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

I went to meet sports fans, delegations from the African continent, journalists and some of the organisers:

 

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The opening ceremony takes place this Friday evening, in central Paris with prestigious guests only.

I'll share interviews with African fans and sports people along the way... 

South African Group Urges Banning Israel from Olympics

 

23 July 2024

 The Olympics start here in Paris on Friday.

Azhar Sakoor is executive member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance Youth League in South Africa. 

The group has organised a petition urging "for the ban of Israel from participating in the Olympic Games. This action would mirror the historic decision to ban apartheid South Africa from international sporting events due to its policies of racial segregation and oppression.

"The parallels between the apartheid policies once practiced by South Africa and those currently enforced by Israel against the Palestinian people are unmistakable. As South Africans who have lived through and triumphed over apartheid, we have a moral obligation to stand against similar injustices wherever they occur.

"The Olympic Games are a global symbol of unity, peace, and respect for human dignity. Allowing Israel to participate despite its ongoing violations of international law and human rights undermines these core values. Just as the international community rallied to isolate apartheid South Africa, we must now call for the exclusion of Israel from the Olympics until it ends its discriminatory practices and respects the rights of the Palestinian people."

See from Human Rights Watch: "World Court Finds Israel Responsible for Apartheid."

Al Jazeera reports: "Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from world sport following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the IOC [International Olympic Committee] orchestrated their gradual return under a neutral banner, subject to strict conditions."

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more on this soon 

Interview du jour: Gavin Jantjes

 

more soon

Donald Rodney

 

Do you remember this piece?

X-ray and a flame...

By Donald Rodney

From 1988

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See the current exhibition at Spike Island:

 

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more soon

West country bound

 

I’m a foreign news journalist, so travels and displacements are a huge part of my life. So, my problem with being in Bristol is that I don’t want to go anywhere else… 

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more soon

Ernest Cole celebrated in London

African(-ish) Summer in England: part 2

Fantastic time to see South African artists in London, as the world celebrates the 30 years of democracy in the country, including two exhibitions of the work of photographer Ernest Cole!

At the Photographers' Gallery:

 

And at the wonderful Autograph, in Shoreditch, on his work in Harlem, NYC, USA:

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articles to come...

Mandela Day

 

A look at the great man's legacy, from my recent trip to Johannesburg:

The legacy of Nelson Mandela 30 years after his election as president • RFI English

African(-ish) Summer in England: part 1

 

So happy to be in London again!

First stop: British Library

Decolonizing Beauty Campaign: video trailer

 

ZIKORA MEDIA & ARTS is proud to announce the official launch of Decolonizing Beauty, a unique campaign designed to educate the public and celebrate the rich tapestry of indigenous and local beauty customs across Africa. In a world increasingly dominated by Western beauty standards promoted through pop culture and the global beauty industry, Decolonizing Beauty seeks to challenge narrow perceptions and showcase the multifaceted historic beauty traditions in Africa’s diverse cultures. The campaign will utilize a multi-platform approach to reach a broad audience of English and French speakers around the world. Throughout the remainder of the year 2024, a series of initiatives from the campaign will be announced. These initiatives include: Crowns of Coils: An Ode to African Hair A social media challenge designed to encourage content creators to appreciate African hairstyles and inspire their audiences To be announced in July Roots on Reels: Showcasing African Beauty Through Film A smartphone short film contest for African filmmakers to present cinematic portrayals of beauty customs practiced in their communities To be announced in August Motherland Beauty: A Poetic Exploration of Traditional African Beauty A poetry contest for African poets to express the essence of African beauty through the power of words To be announced in September African Beauty in Focus: A Photojournalism Project A call for African photojournalists to capture the essence of traditional African beauty practices through their lens To be announced in October And last but not the least: Hairitage in Motion: A Live Celebration of African Hairstyles A live hair show and performance arts presentation showcasing the artistry and diversity of African hairstyles To take place in December Stay tuned for exciting updates by following ZIKORA MEDIA & ARTS on social media: https://www.instagram.com/zikora.medi... https://x.com/ZikoraMediaArts https://www.facebook.com/zikoramediaa... About ZIKORA MEDIA & ARTS:

Launched in Abuja, Nigeria in 2023, ZIKORA Media & Arts is a media production company and cultural institution that produces, preserves and promotes creative content and art which captures the nuanced stories of Africa and Africans. Zikora means “show the world” in the Igbo language of southeastern Nigeria. The organization’s motto is to show the world what it means to be Unapologetically African. ZIKORA carries out its vision through its six Creative Branches: Film & TV; Journalism & News Media; Literary Arts; Performance Arts; Events; The Collective Tree. A Francophone Africa network is in place to connect to French-speaking Africans. ZIKORA has a number of projects underway including a documentary feature film in production, a West African dance training initiative in Senegal and an online publication called DIASPORA, which publishes personal essays about the experiences and cross-cultural identities of Africans living outside of Africa. Our vision is to capture the experiences, expressions and impressions of Africa and Africans through immersive storytelling produced through multimedia and creative multidisciplinary forms including, photography, dance, poetry, visual arts and film. Media Contact:

For more information about ZIKORA MEDIA & ARTS, please visit https://www.zikoramedia.com/ or email – info@zikoramedia.com