Butterfly Magazine - Issue 8

AFRICA

OPEN FOR BUSINESS Vol. 1 Issue 8 12th JUNE 2020

Juliet

Ryan

Bla xit

In collaboration with

TRIBUTE

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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn -

They Shall Be Comforted

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The Blessing

a i r e g i N t All Abou

The Blessing Nigeria - Believers sing ‘The Blessing’ over Nigeria

Top 15 Places to Visit in Nigeria

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How All The 36-Nigerian States Got Their-Name

T

he reason Butterfly Magazine was established was to connect Black people in the UK, on the African continent, in the Caribbean, and the Black Diaspora through television and film. Our primary aim is to fund, through this magazine, ONYX TELEVISION NETWORK Limited, a multi-channel, multi platform Internet network of 25+ channels that operate 24/7, 365 days per year showing 100% original material, for us and by us. We are not excluding other ethnic groups but this is our space, owned and operated by us from conception, production distribution and broadcast.

The events of the last fortnight have reinforced the need for such a network.

The death of George Floyd, the subsequent protests, the riots, the church services, the global outpouring of support, the destruction of slave owner’s statues and the dialogue that has opened up cannot stop until there is significant and sustainable change.

For us, Black people, to have a voice we need a platform that is ours; where the message will not be diluted or whitewashed. The Butterfly Maag Team, all volunteers, except the Design Editor, putting out publish Butterfly Maag each week, because we need a regular voice that is on spot and on time.

Instead of complaining about media representation we can, we must represent ourselves. We are not deterred by the lack of advertising support from Black businesses.

Well, the Bible says, until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16v24 To build the app, create the platform, buy the property, employ core staff, and buy your content - we need ÂŁ1.8m. Now, to quote an old time Jamaican sayings one one coco fill basket. So, right now, whatever you donate is appreciated.

DONATE TODAY

The reason Butterfly Magazine was established was connect Black people in th UK, on the African continent, in the Caribbean, and the Black Diaspora through television and film. Our primary aim is to fund, through this magazine, ONYX TELEVISION NETWORK, a multi-channel, multi platform Internet network of 2 donate channels that operate 24/7, 365 days per year showing 100% original materia for us and by us. We are not excluding other ethnic groups but this is our spac owned and operated by us from conception, production and broadcast.

The events of the last fortnight have reinforced the need for such a network. T 5 Transform your viewing... death of George Floyd, the subsequent protests, the riots, the church services, t

THE BUTTERFLY MAAG TEAM Editor-in-Chief Beverley Cooper-Chambers EDITORIAL TEAM Karen Ferrari Simone Scott-Sawyer Editorial Researcher Tasina J. Lewis Sharrae Newell-Barn MARKETING DIRECTOR Marvin Osemwegie

Contents COVER - Juliet Ryan

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All About Nigeria

7

BOYCOTT 101

8

The Library

10

What’s on the Screen?

20

The Disruptor

25

Lead Story: Juliet Ryan, the C.E.O. of Bla Xit

28

Rhea’s Watch 6

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Mi & Mi Kru

35

Reading Between The Lines

38

Still Not Laughing

40

’I can’t breathe’

41

Colin Kaepernick

Financial Strategic Advisor Nastassia Hedge-Whyte, MAAT, ACCA,ICAJ

Editorial Contributors David Clarke (London) Rhea Delaney (London) Joshua Grant aka Sports Arrow (London) Natalee Grant (Jamaica) Fayida Jailler (UK) Bakita Kasadha (UK & Uganda) Chi-Chi Osemwegie (London) Donna Williams (USA) Manasses Williams (USA)

Bakita:KK Childlike

iChurch Can we really ...

Change the World?

ADVISORY BOARD

Marketing Strategic Advisor Jeremie Alamazani, Principal at Wealth Partners Ltd.

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SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYST Michael Brown

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Freedom is Mine with Fayida

43 Festive Greetings From Simy Blackspectation: Seven Sisters And A Brother

44

Last word

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Good Side

Design Editor Rusdi Saleh Graphics Butterfly logo by Wayne Powell (Jamaica) Thanks to our featured advertisers Benzly Hype (Jamaica & Canada) Hypolink ( The Gambia) Erasmus (Uganda) Submit a story: communications@butterflymaag.com Advertising enquiries: ads@butterflymaag.com Ad copy should be submitted Friday for the following week’s publication.

Butterfly Magazine published weekly on Fridays.

Butterfly magazine is published weekly by BUTTERFLY MAGAZINE LIMITED, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE, UK. Tel: (44) (0) 203 984 9419 Butterfly ™ 2015 is the registered trademark of THE LION AND THE LAMB MEDIA HOUSE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission from the publishers BUTTERFLY MAGAZINE LIMITED. Address all correspondence to: communications@butterflymaag.com No copyright infringement is intended

Call for action

BOYCOTT 101

By The Disruptor

“C

an we really change the world?” was the topic of Bishop Wayne Malcolm’s Hour of Power on the 7th June 2020. (Watch on page 33). While there is a time and a place for the protests, anger and riots, simultaneously, there must be people who keep a cool head and strategise. The key is to learn from strategies that have a proven success record.

Dr. Claud Anderson has said repeatedly, racism is about economics and the sooner we understand and apply that knowledge the sooner the tide will start to turn. Will it be easy? No. Will it require sacrifice? Yes. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.

The Bristol Boycott 1963

So before embarking on a boycott of all non-black shops on 7th July 2020 ask these questions.

1. What do we want to achieve?

2. Do we understand that boycotts only work if they are long term and fully supported?

3. Have mechanisms been put in place to fill the void created to ensure that those on the boycott’s basic needs are met?

4. Do we have an organised network throughout the country to coordinate large groups of people?

5. Do we have the support of non-Black groups to swell the numbers?

6. Have we taken full use of mainstream and social media to get the message out there and keep it on the front burner?

7. Are we prepared to work together in this in the same way we obeyed and worked together about COVID-19?

If we have the answers to all of the above then we are ready for action. What will success look like? Watch this.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

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THE LIBRARY

Towards Life-Knowledge

Gold, Silver & Slaves

(Britain’s Slave Trade Documentary) 8

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“Knowledge always wins in the end, but not unless and until it is known.”

– Professor John McMurtry

The Story of Marcus Garvey – A Documentary

Black Power: America’s Armed Resistance Dan Murdoch returns to America to meet members of the Black Liberation Movement.

Dr. Kehinde Andrews on Racism in Education The days are long gone when we allow the enemy to educate our children.

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What’s on the Screen?

The Screeners’

TV Choice

Illustration by Wayne Powell (Jamaica)

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Man

Time to Kill (1996)

Credit: Netflix

The Real McCoy – I’ve Got Black Mates You Know

Black Lady Sketch Show Chris and Lachel: Exit Row (Full Sketch) | HBO

13th In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.

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woman

American Son It’s 3am on a rainy night in South Florida, and mother Kendra EllisConnor (Kerry Washington) paces anxiously in a police station waiting room as she tries to piece together what may have happened to her missing son. Faced with a series of infuriating unanswered questions, she navigates a system of unconscious bias, interweaving perspectives, and a tense marital dynamic with her ex-husband (Steven Pasquale) as they try to uncover the truth about their son’s whereabouts. Based on the acclaimed Broadway play, and also featuring reprised roles by Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee, AMERICAN SON is an emotional depiction of modern day race dynamics and systemic tensions.

A Black Lady Sketch Show: Courtroom Kiki (Full Sketch) | HBO 12

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SITTING IN LIMBO | BBC iPLAYER Feature length drama exploring the devastating effects of the Windrush scandal on one family.

A shocking drama inspired by the Windrush scandal. After 50 years in the UK, Anthony Bryan is wrongfully detained by the Home Office and threatened with deportation.

Meet the Adebanjos Trailer

Rosewood Transform your viewing...

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small child

The Harriet Tubman animated story

by The Torchlighters

Our Friend Martin 14

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A Picture Book of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Credit: Disneycember

OLDER CHILD

The Colour of Friendship

Raven’s Home

Cousins for Life

Black Panther Quest Transform your viewing...

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young adult

WHERE HANDS TOUCH Official Trailer (2018)

Mixed-ish | JoBlo TV Show Trailers 16

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gen z

Dear White People | Season 3 Official Trailer | Netflix

ROCKS Trailer (2020) Teen Drama Movie

CHARM CITY KINGS Trailer # 2 (2020) Will Smith Production Movie

The Hate U Give 20th Century FOX

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grandPA

Credit: Netflix

King in the Wilderness – HBOCA_EST

When They See Us 2019 18

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Misery’s West Indian Restaurant Two Fry Dumplings (The Real Mccoy)

Credit: Annapurna Pictures

grandma

credit: Annapurna Pictures

Credit: Lee Daniels Movie HD

If Beale Street Could Talk

Precious

Angie Stand Up1 Transform your viewing...

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The Disruptor

Welcome to the Disruptor.

To be a disruptor in business is to create a product, service, or way of doing things which displaces the existing market leaders and eventually replaces them at the helm of the sector. [`the disruptor]

Less Talk More Action

Af rica Open For Business Africa Unite

An Analysis of the Solution

Are Guns the Solution?

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A Jamaican Farmer in South Florida

When the Investors Pack Their Bags and Leave - We Are Poorer-Why?

How Alcohol Is Locally Made In Ghana

By Wode Maya

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Africa’s looted artifacts are being put up for sale during the global economic crisis

What is the Difference Between Racism and Tribalism?

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Injustice How can we win?

Stop Complaining and start Competing

Who owns the Brands?

Jamaica PM Andrew Holness - Grow Your own Food

SUBMIT YOUR STORIES ABOUT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE UK AND/ OR INVESTMENT, GROWTH, and TRADE IN AFRICA AND THE CARIBBEAN info@onyxtelevisionnetwork.com

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All roads lead to Noire Street Be part of the change Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Your company’s name/logo and website link

Coming

Soon

Your chance to showcase your business in the Black community...

People can’t buy Black unless they know about you And can find you…

All roads lead to Noire Street…

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B

lead story

Butterfly magazine interviews

Juliet Ryan, the C.E.O. of Bla Xit

By Simone Scott-Sawyer

BM: First of all who is Juliet Ryan and what brought about the genesis of Bla Xit?

t i x a l B JR: firstly I am a mother, a wife and was born and raised in the UK to two wonderful parents, both born in Jamaica. However from an early age, my life was severely marred by discrimination. My siblings and I grew up in a very racist England in the 1970s and were subjected to racism on a daily basis. We lived next door to very racist neighbours who once threw dog excrement into our back garden simply because of the colour of our skin. We experienced racism at school, if we weren’t experiencing it, we were witnessing it. It was all pervasive. I attended school in Newham and then moved to Essex in my early teens.

My worst experience of racism was being beaten up by a group of white boys and left unconscious. My friends and I would go ice-skating and be set upon by the police. My first boyfriend died from a brain aneurism as a result of being beaten up by the police.

It was relentless. It got so bad that my mother, fearing for the safety of her family, had no choice but to send my brother and I to Jamaica, only returning to the UK when hurricane Gilbert hit the island.

I have always proudly worn the badge of being ‘black & proud’ and this attracted a lot of negative attention. I was raised in an environment with strong sense of our black culture and from a young age panAfricanism was instilled in me, as such I knew all the popular African Kings & Queens and black heroes, such as Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, Dr Frances Cress Welsing who wrote the Isis papers.

I also had a love for the arts and by the age 16, I was performing with Benjamin Zephaniah at the Theatre Royal, Stratford in London.

Even through my higher education and employment years, racism and discrimination persisted and dominated my life. I continued to suffer

Juliet with her husband Adrian

at the hands of racists when I became a parent and I found myself vicariously suffering discrimination again when my sons were subjected to brutal racism.

When one of them was aged 7, he was hit in the face at school and called racist names. He became withdrawn and eventually no longer wished to go to school. When I complained to the school expecting a solution, they instead distorted the case against my son and made out that he was the troublesome one and overlooked the appalling behaviour of the white school children. The school’s modus operandi was to give the impression that the black children were the problem. Getting no satisfaction from the school, I collaborated with and formed a parents’ group to deal with the school. Sadly this was to no avail.

2011 was another pivotal point for me when I found myself being discriminated at work. As a black woman living in the UK I never conformed, I have always had a strong sense of identity and sported hair locks for about 10 years. I therefore faced all manner of severe discrimination. This resulted in two tribunal cases both of which I won. This was only possible because I have a strong fighting spirit: I assiduously Transform your viewing...

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t i x Bla

Racist Bullies Tormented My Son collected all the evidence and then challenged the authorities. Later on in 2011, my family and I wished to visit mainland Africa. Having previously visited Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt I was missing that true ‘African essence’ and wanted to get a real sense of black Africa. As a child, I had learned from my grandma that we had roots in The Gambia and Sierra Leone. So we decided to visit the Gambia but had no expectations. Upon arrival I noticed people who looked exactly like my grandma’s family and realised I was ‘home’. We enjoyed a very warm welcome.

However, the turning point for me and the start of my mental shift happened one day when my then 7 year old son - who had been to The Gambia on several occasions, and to other countries including Jamaica, Greece, Spain, Albania and always felt at home in The Gambia – decided he had had enough and wanted ‘to go home’ to the Gambia. This coupled with decades of being racially accosted and attacked on a regular basis, meant that I had no more fighting spirit left. My experience is that the entire system: legal, education, social is against black people. Institutional racism is ubiquitous and nepotism is rife. The system appeared to be permanently tipped against my family, it seemed there was no way out and I decided it was time to leave and start a new life in The Gambia. This coincided with Brexit and we coined a term to capture the mood at the time. Hello Bla Xit!

to draw up a financial and contingency plan. Think about lightening the load, sell what is not needed and use the proceeds of sale to purchase your air tickets, ship belongings over and maybe put a deposit down to rent or buy land.

When it comes to employment - think outside the box. Take your money out of the west and invest in Africa. You would need to think about what you can offer the locals and develop a mentality to fill in the gaps rather than take jobs away from the locals.

For e.g. we can build foundational schools for our children so the local curriculum can be taught. The curriculum would cover African history and culture, including language lessons, so that our children are taught local languages like Jola which is the language of the Jola people, Mandinka & Wolof, as this an area which constitutes a gap. Developing a selfsufficient community mindset and contributing to the local economy and local market should be a key consideration. Areas worth investing in include road building, solar power, provision of medical facilities, manufacturing, dry & cold storage, to name but a few. Agri-processing and agriculture are also popular areas. Returnees could enter into cooperative farming arrangements with the farmers, whereby they can acquire land in perpetuity. This can be passed down the family line and can never be sold. Returnees could also consider bringing in farming equipment to effectively develop the land. The farmers get the benefit of using the modern machinery thereby upscaling production values.

a l B

BM: So, young people are fed up, scared and reactionary. We need to channel that anger into a solution. What sort of coordinated movement can we set up to showcase the different countries in Africa that are open for business and repatriation as a one stop shop?”

JR: What is needed is a mass exodus, based on the understanding that whatever transferrable skills and experience have been gained can be utilised in Africa.

I would say the key, initial steps to consider would be

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5 Step Plan to buying land and building in Gambia

Why we returned home to Africa!

Yes Africa has its challenges, but for too long the media has focused solely on the negatives, painting a rather distorted picture to those in the west. Bla Xit is a beacon which sheds a positive light on Africa for a change, and aims to bridge the gap as families make the transition from the west to the best. Being an entrepreneur remains the most popular choice when it comes to making a living in Africa. Therefore my advice to the diaspora is: come ready to set up trade! Online jobs also remain a very popular choice nowadays - with access to the internet you can work anywhere in the world.

Bla Xit is committed to helping its ‘Bla Xit family’, so if for e.g. you wish to build a home in The Gambia, Bla Xit can introduce you to building and construction companies and provide the support to assist in sourcing affordable land, for which a small management fee will be charged to cover our costs.

To safeguard both parties’ interests, a land acquisition agreement will be entered into whereby Bla Xit undertake to source reasonably priced land and facilitate the successful transfer of land ownership to the buyer. In 2015, I started the process of sourcing land to build my own house and my family and I moved into our new home in February 2020. We got into the business when someone witnessed me buying land and asked me to help her acquire land.

For e.g. a plot of land measuring 20 x 20 sqm, big enough for an average 3 bedroomed house would cost approximately £1,000 in an area like Kassa Kunda which is about 45 minutes away from Banjul, the capital. To erect a basic specification, 3 bedroomed house would set you back on average £30 to 40,000 to include accounting, legal, surveyors costs etc. I have covered some of these topics in my YouTube videos to show how realistic it is.

Other points to bear in mind – the electricity system is off grid, therefore I would recommend installing an alternative source of power from

solar panels. These can be sourced locally and again I showcase details on my YouTube channel With regards to water, it is best to install a borehole system so you are totally self-sufficient.

With regards to education, my son now attends a local school. We simply turned up at the school, he sat a competency test, we paid the fees and were then able to register him.

With regards to medical facilities, this operates as a pay-as-go system. If you need urgent medical assistance, you can go to a local hospital and the facilities are very good. Ours is the Medicare hospital based in Brusibi village.

If you are thinking of moving to The Gambia, in the first instance, Bla Xit would stress the importance of coming to visit the country, hang out and get acquainted with the place. Stay in a hotel, eat the food, indulge and immerse yourself in the culture, network and build on those contacts. Relocating from the west to Africa is a huge leap mentally, psychologically and financially and Bla Xit is here to support its family through that process to make it as seamless as possible.

t i x

BM: what is your call to action to the diaspora?

JR: With all the negativity going on in the world today, especially the horrific events unfolding in the USA following the brutal killing of George Floyd, the time to take action is now. Better to be free than be in a place of oppression, suppression & depression!

What is a Borehole 10 facts about water boreholes & how accessing a private water supply can bring many benefits.

Learn about drilling your own borehole for water extraction.

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RHEA’S WATCH

Highlights achievements of the youth today, showcases people who seek Highlights achievements of the youth today, showcases people who seek to​ create a brighter to future create brighter for the youth and hidden the for a the youth ​andfuture reveals hidden gems from the pastreveals who helped to make gems the worldfrom a better place. past who helped tomake the world a better place.

Alex got a place in the UK's Growing up, the book in thePremier Bible that spoke to me the most Athletics Club was the book of Daniel funnily enough. Partly because, Daniel Birchfield Harriers seemed to go through a similar journey that I went through. at age 15.

Alex got Especially when I was at University.

Kind of being picked into all the Youth out because of his intellectual capabilities then going into a foreign land for 3Development years (laughs)teams to then kind of focusing in andeven she more. was Before being in the and honing on those 2019 abilities called to compete in 23 always kind of position of influence. Beyond that, Psalms middle league speaks regardless of what stage of life I am in. competitions which aretofor seniors.

Why did you decide take a GapIn Year and what 2018 and 2019 top tips can you recommend for Alex those who are thinking of represented South taking it?

Birmingham I got into Oxford the second timeschools I applied. The first time I twice in athletics. applied to do politics, philosophy and economics at St John’s She onI to College - University of went Oxford. didn’t get a place at the represent West University. So my intention was to study at The University Midlands schools at Mason Trophy Inter CountiesofSchools Championships 2019suggested in Warwick.

But a mentor ofinmine that I think the 300m Hurdles. She has competed in ​Englandof Athletics' national championships reapplying to Oxford. I remember my dad’s response twice. Alex now studies French, Russian and Latinwas at A Levels. basically no. I think he was concerned. He heard about

“My parents’ requirements were based on the question; ‘Did you try your best?’ If I replied affirmatively they were always content. But I demanded more of myself. I wanted my best effort to be rewarded with the best outcomes. And I could see no reason why this wasn’t possible.”

You can buy Daniel’s book on Amazon: ‘ After Oxford: Getting in. Fitting in? Standing out.’ Daniel works for the University of Birmingham as a Project Manager. He was the first person from Hamstead hall in Birmingham to graduate from the University of Oxford.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Marianne Williamson 28

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people who had taken gap years and who ended up not going to University in the end. So he was really adamant that I shouldn’t take a gap year and that I should go straight to University. But I really felt there would be some benefit in taking the time out.

If you’re going to take a gap year, you need to be intentional about how you’re going to use that time in your year. I did a combination of volunteering with my local councillor so I could learn about the local issues that I cared about in my community. I worked night shifts and had the chance to go to Ghana for 10 weeks and that was amazing!

That experience really just changed the whole way that I saw myself and the world around me. It really had a positive impact on my mindset and in my self confidence and my ability to understand myself. Gap years can be really positive but you have to make sure that you think about what you want to do with your time and the ways it can benefit you both in the short term and in the long term.

Name: Daniel Stone Nicknames: Stone Age: 31 next week!

Born: Birmingham, UK Hobbies? Playing football, watching basketball, gym Fav music artist? Chance The Rapper, first album mixed positive rap with good soulful music!

Fav colour? Blue Pet Peeves? People who break social distancing! Who get to close when they should be 2 meters apart and people who play loud music in public places when they should just use headphones . People on the who plays music no one bus ​Danietol Ston else e: Nam wants listene too -_-

Oxford was the best university for my particular course in this Country. So I was working to get there. So for me it was a great accomplishment to have achieved that goal. Having said that, if I hadn’t got into Oxford I’d still believed that I would’ve got into another top University. For me personally it was good to reach my goal.

But I also understand that this was significant for my wider community because most people who I knew hadn’t ever met anybody who had been to the University of Oxford. So for my Nicknames: ​Stone I love to travel. You mentioned Ghana and that being community it was significant Age: ​31 next week! an amazing experience what was that like? How did it and for my school it was as well.

As you said, I was the 1st ​Birmingham, UK n: Bor impact you? person to go to the University of Oxford. Some of that meant watching ng football,so ​Playichallenges bies?were Hob there when I was applying to get a place I’d always been fascinated about Ghana. Being from a all, gym there weren’t teachers who were used to the bas atketb University Jamacian heritage that is that sense of being disconnected same way that some The Rap Chance ist?​ could process advise me per, in the artwho music or Fav from elements of our history. So I think I always had my to do advised. But I think it with good oftmy were itive rapschools ed posprivate list to visit Africa at some point. It was a part of a government m mixfrom albupeers firs also meant I just had that sense of humility.

I think I remember funding programme that was sending young people abroad soulful music! my whole attitude was that I had nothing to lose. Because to experience life in a different culture. For me, what always ​ Blue colour?

Fav nobody was really expecting me to get in. So if I got in, great! stands out was just the beauty of nature. Everything was just break social ​ People ves?then Pet If I Pee didn’t I’d who get into another good University. So for me a different pace of life. People relied on each other and relied they of the pressure. e whensome closrelieve get to to ing! Whohelped thatanc probably dist on the community a lot more. People were incredibly warm le who and friendly. As for me, I loved the heat! I fell in love with the should be 2 meters apart and peop I loved that you had that es attitude at a young age. What spirit of the people and the place. I had the chance to go back public plac when they music in loudwould play advice you give to your younger self? It seems like to Ghana about 4 or 5 years ago for my masters research. ple on the ones. Peoon! dphscrewed use hea justyour sho youuldhad head I spent some time visiting schools out there as well which else wants to ic no one playsI mus who bus Yeah, I think probably always had my head screwed on to was a really good experience. It really humbles you because

be (laughs) there’s actually a really funny passage in n too -_listehonest you realise how much we have in this country. Regardless of my book where I talk about a report that I submitted at the

all the challenges and difficulties we do have so much in the end of year 5 were I talk about liking schools because of the

way of privilege and often we don’t make the most of the challenges I face (laughs) so I think I have always had my head

opportunities we have available to us. screwed on from quite a young age. If I could give advice

I agree. I’m glad that you got to have that experience. it would be around that really that sense of focus. Being SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY You were the first person from focused on the kind of person that your school to graduate from you want to become because I think

Oxford University.

What an for all of us as young people we are

achievement! How did that evolving into different people and that make you feel? evolution will continue throughout our

lives . But often I know a lot of young I think it’s really interesting when people who don’t make the most out you achieve things in life that of opportunities that they have today. other people deem to also be Because they get distracted and they important. Because I think that allow things to take them off track. So there’s different levels that you I think my advice would be to try and experience the achievement. So be focused really.

I think for me as an individual thinking about wanting to get SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY to the best possible University.

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Photo: contributed. Bakita Kasadha

Bakita: KK

SPEAK YOUR

TRUTH Meet Bakita: KK

Overcoming self-stigma to achieve your potential

[

Bakita Kasadha is a writer, researcher, health activist and poet better known as BAKITA:KK.

[

“No one can tell our stories like we can� underpins her why.

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Transform your viewing...

Click for video

Childlike

MAKING HISTORY Where stood the statue of a slaver, stands the raised fist of a proud black man. Share it wide.

Bristol isn’t erasing history. They are making it.

How shameful it would be to have to tell your kids and grandkids that - when this happened - when the greatest movement for civil rights swept the world and tore down idols to slavery and inequality and made Western society a better place at last - you stood against it.

Photo credit: Clíona Ní Cheallaigh — with Manoel Akure.

(poetry project, exploring different scenarios from a child’s perspective)

Gentleman on the plinth: Manoel Akure

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R E T S U B S S STRE

9 1 D I COV

Hemsley Morris aka Benzly Hype is no stranger to the camera. He created and starred in the television drama Mi and Mi Kru, which first aired in Jamaica in 2009.

The sitcom is based around his mother, Beatrice Morris who has sadly passed.

In the show, Benzly moves out of his mother’s home and into his own house with his mother after a big win on the lottery. What transpires is hilarious.

Mi and Mi Kru Reunion 32

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Benzly recognised that social distancing, quarantine, economic hardships, and the loss of jobs because of COVID-19 is causing anxiety and stress. So he doing his part to ease the situation he has released all of the episodes of Mi and Mi Kru on YouTube free of cost.

Credit: Hemsley Morris

s ‘ E P Y H BENZLY FOR

faith on tv

Can we really...

Change the World?

"No wrestling match can begin until both parties are in the ring"

Bishop Wayne Malcolm.

Founder and senior leader at iCan Community Church and the president of the iGlobal Network.

Transform your viewing...

33

Are You Afraid To Talk About Race

“We are going to make America great for everybody, for the first time” — Rev. Al Sharpton during George Floyd’s eulogy 34

Transform your viewing...

Reading Between The Lines

by David Clarke

Black Lives Matter

O

n a subject marred by injustice and deeply rooted with political issues, I struggle to find words or even where to begin.

Following recent events of the humiliation and dehumanisation of black people across the globe, millions of people-including people like myself-have lost respect for the justice system and can take no more of its incompetence and unfair actions towards ethnic minorities, particularly in the black community. We believe, that if we take a stand together and raise our voices loud enough, that we will suddenly be heard, and things will change. The big question is, will it?

So, a good place for me to start, I guess, might be with ‘in the beginning’, because as far back as the history books go, the world has always been polluted with social disparity, wickedness, corruption, and injustice; and today’s world isn’t any different, only a new era in time. The Jews and Gentiles of ancient times can be compared to the divisions set amongst us in today’s society, and my knowledge of God shows me that nothing that is, would be if He did not allow it.

Since we live in a broken world ruled by darkness (1 John 5:19), it comes as no surprise to see the increase in the level of evil (Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3), and that racism is a part of it. Though hard to understand or maybe even accept that this could all be part of God’s plan, one thing we do know is that there is no justice without injustice, no peace without war, no right without wrong, no love without hate, no good without evil. This calls for wisdom and moral understanding, that God’s righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 97:2), which He is Judge, and that all men should follow the Lord’s righteous ways. So, as children of God, we have a moral obligation to expose evil and to call out those who are wrong, standing firm in goodwill, no matter the cost.

In the 1996 legal thriller, A Time to Kill, an act of brutality on a young Black girl by two racist thugs, lead to a double murder, racial tension, and violence in this courtroom drama. Just as injustice seemed to have its way again, justice was truly served when the

verdict given to the victim’s father was ‘not guilty’ – a verdict swayed only by giving the jury a retrospective view based on the colour of skin.

In another powerful courtroom drama, Just Mercy (2019), we see again, the true story that exposes the inequality and discrimination of the justice system, that centres on false accusations and lack of privilege that rotten communities and households altogether.

Queen & Slim (2019) is no different it is just another tale of trauma, terror, grief, and pain for people of colour.

The 2020 film, The Banker, offers another slick insight of the nationalistic view we all know to be ‘white supremacy’, again portraying a picture of a system that is a bias against Black people. The Hate U Give (2018), is an important and timely movie, but it only fuels more anger. There are many more films I could add to the list, but I’m sure I’ve caused you enough triggers already. Each film shares the two sides of life, with biblical references, and if you read between the lines, and so it is with God. It is these differences in life that call for greatness in times of adversity, setting the sheep apart from the goats.

A time for God’s people to stand up and stand out.

One of my favourite movies on this subject is Hidden Figures (2016); where three Black women become the catalyst for US Aeronautics despite racial and gender discrimination at work.

This is a retrospective outlook to the films mentioned above and provides a deeper understanding of how perseverance, character, and hope are the embodiment of God’s victory for us.

I’m not saying that God wants Black people to suffer foolishness and continue to be oppressed, but to see God in the oppression, and to use the pain rather than let the pain use us. That said, God’s love needs to be active as we cannot win this battle by voice alone. We need to show the enemy there’s a unity on the rise, that stands for change, and just as Black Lives Matter, God in our lives is the only thing that truly matters to help unify the love the world desperately needs right now. BM Transform your viewing...

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Advertorial

Hypolink

Village Resort More Than Just A Resort ORIGINAL ART SHOW

convenient self catering ‘home from home’ kitchen spaces.

It offers weekly events like Yoga classes, Vegan cooking classes, Movie nights, Zumba dance and classes, Pool parties and also staged events.

HYPOLINK has a fully equipped stage and outdoor space for performing artists, wedding receptions and workshops.

The resort has a domed restaurant which is a hotspot for fine dining, with a panoramic roof terrace, indoor and outdoor bars, two restaurants, designer swim-up pool bar, live stage, treatment centre for mind, body and spirit. Also Wi-Fi, Yoga, Zumba and Cooking classes, and Movie nights makes HYPOLINK Village – more than just a resort.

Tailor-made Tours are on offer, as are excursions to various tourist attractions - all at affordable costs. The tour guide will be happy to tailor-make activities to fit your holiday requirements.

Special holiday packages are available, which means you can stay at HYPOLINK Village and other locations in Senegal or Guinea with flights, accommodation and transport included, please contact HYPOLINK on the details below.

COMING SOON

The Inside Story

H

ypolink Village Resort, is an exclusive, modern day, African Village which offers you a home-away-fromhome experience in a luxurious, Ecofriendly environment. Its renowned architecture is an exceptionally blessed detail with lots of African flair.

This unique ‘Smiling Coast of Africa’ resort, offers elegant oasis gardens, set in an ideal location, with the beautiful Kololi Beach only a short walk away. HYPOLINK is an exclusive venue for hosting weddings, private events and conferences.

Accommodation at HYPOLINK comprises of 10 fully equipped self catering apartments, with

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Hypolink Village Resort, is an exclusive, modern day, African Village which offers you a homeaway-from- home experience in a luxurious, Ecofriendly environment. Its renowned architecture is an exceptionally blessed detail with lots of African flair. This unique ‘Smiling Coast of Africa’ resort, offers elegant oasis gardens, set in an ideal location, with the beautiful Kololi Beach only a short walk away. HYPOLINK is an exclusive venue for hosting weddings, private events and conferences. Accommodation at HYPOLINK comprises of 10 fully equipped self catering apartments, with convenient self catering ‘home from home’ kitchen spaces. It offers weekly events like Yoga classes, Vegan cooking classes, Movie nights, Zumba dance and classes, Pool parties and also staged events. HYPOLINK has a fully equipped stage and outdoor space for performing artists, wedding receptions and workshops.

Matthew Hypolite the owner, was born on the cusp of Virgo and Libra, in the Spice Island of Grenada during its worst ever hurricane, hence his nickname Stormy. He came to England in his early years and grew up in SW6 Fulham. He is very creative, with a “just do it” can-do attitude.

His studies and working life have revolved around the arts, music, property and community development. He discovered Gambia in 2005 and purchased what is now HYPOLINK Village, during his first two weeks on holiday.

The resort was fully developed, designed and built by Matthew, alongside local workers, and a learning experience was had by everyone. They all acquired new skills and working techniques, using new materials and building in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way

Contact Information HYPOLINK Village Resort, Palma Rima Junction, Bertil Harding Highway, Kololi, The Gambia UK: +44 (0)7444 337 980 Gambia: +220 788 9883 WhatsApp: +447752151551 hypolinkvillage@gmail.com www.hypolinkvillageresort.com Facebook: hypolink village Transform your viewing...

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STILL NOT LAUGHING

55 years

Liberation

Dancing

us You know it’s serio rn up when the Amish tu

Ghost

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The Predator

You People

History Class

Matter

Racismiceb e

rg

Social distance

HUMANS That’s an old photo

Kids in the

60s

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Sports Arrow

’I can’t breathe’

T

by Josh Grant

his phrase that has gone viral across the Internet due to George Floyd’s horrible death on May 25th 2020 and has given the world of sport time to reflect on racism in game which has existed for many decades.

Former athletes such as Paul Canoville, (Chelsea 1981-88) and John Barnes, (Watford, Newcastle and Liverpool 1981-99) were some of the first footballers to experience racism in football and it continues now in 2020. Fans, owners, and footballers feel uncomfortable and disappointed with the industry. Some, athletes end their career tired of the racist chants or being pelted with bananas skins, and the endless abuse on social media. This behaviour is despicable and I hope, in the near future, that the appropriate consequences will be applied.

Liverpool FC sat in a circle with their diverse squad to support the #blacklivesmatter movement. Jaden Sancho, Marcus Thuram, and Weston McKennie all gave their condolences to George Floyd in their football matches.

In 2012, Jackie Kay in the Guardian pitched her poem about racism in sport, which sums up how sport should be.

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”Let Arthur Wharton come back from the dead To see the man in black blow the final whistle.

Let the game of two halves be beautiful, Not years ahead. Let every kissing of the badge, Every cultured pass, every lad and lass, Every uttered thought, every chant and rant, Every strip and stripe – be free of it.

Then football would have truly played a blinder, And Arthur returned to something kinder.

Let the man in black call time on racism.

And Arthur will sing out on the wings, Our presiding spirit – the first black blade.

Imagine having everything to play for.

This is our pitch. Now hear us roar.”

Until next time, watch this space.

Colin Kaepernick American Football Player

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Freedom is Mine

GERMANY

S

BY FAYIDA JAILLER

ince World War II Germany has not kept official statistics on the ethnic make-up of its citizens, meaning it is impossible to know the exact size of the African diaspora in Germany today. The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance puts the number at 300,00 – 500,000, though credible sources cite the number as being closer to 900,000.

One of the first known Africans to live in Germany was Anton Wilhelm Amo, who was brought over from Ghana in the early 1700s and given as a ‘gift’ to the Duke of BrunswickWolfenbüttel. He became the first African to study at a European university. He studied a variety of disciplines including metaphysics, physiology, history, law, theology, politics and medicine, eventually gaining a doctorate in philosophy.

rmany Mixed race girl in Nazi Ge

by Library of Congress.

zoos internationally, and toured his own ‘Nubian exhibit’ around Paris, Berlin and London.

The number of Afro-Germans increased again when the First World War broke out in 1914.

French Senegalese soldiers arrived in the Rhineland and in major Anton Wilhelm Am o. cities around Germany. They married German women, and had biracial children. By 1920 there was approximately 20,000 Africans and Afro-descendants in Germany.

Their mixed-race offspring were socially isolated, professionally limited, and barred from attending university or joining the army.

Tragically, the rise of the Nazi party in the late 1930s, greatly impacted the nature of race-relations in Germany. Under the Nazis’ racial purity laws, AFRO GERMANY: The African Diaspora in Germany. thousands of Afro-Germans, AfroEuropeans and African Americans Africans began arriving in the largest were sent to concentration camps numbers during the high-colonial period and prisoners of war camps. No during the 19th century when Germany official statistics exist of how many colonised several African countries during black people the Nazis killed, in part the Scramble for Africa. German territories because the Nazis destroyed many in Africa included modern-day Namibia, of the documents which provided Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Togo and concrete evidence.

Cameroon.

Although anti-black attitudes Human zoo poster From the late 1800s onwards, Germany still exist in some sectors of German

by Stadtmuseum. hosted several ‘ethnological expositions’, society today, there are hundreds of colloquially dubbed ‘human zoos’, where thousands of Afro-Germans, from families from across Africa and Asia were put on a variety of backgrounds and in a variety of display in walled enclosures designed to mimic occupations. Notable Afro-Germans include the their ‘natural habitat’, and forced to ‘perform’ for singer Leila Negra, chemist and politician Karamba paying European customers. German merchant Carl Diaby, poet May Ayim, and activist Katharina Hagenbeck was a well-known supplier of human Oguntoye.

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Festive Greetings From Simy, With Love From Sierra Leone

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n o i t a t c e p s k c a l B n o i t lackspectation a B t c e p s Black e

by Donna Mari

Williams

Seven Sisters And A Brother

Marilyn Maye

Marilyn C. Maye, Ed.D is a lifelong activist in the struggle for justice for people of African descent. Recently retired as a professor in educational leadership at a public university in New Jersey, her career focused on public school leadership and on mathematics education, as she consulted regionally and nationally for schools, school districts, and professional development organizations. An advocate for high-quality education for Black children, she is a founding trustee of Bronx Charter Schools for Better Learning in the Northeast Bronx. She served in leadership for the State Department of Education, a public school district, amd in New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. She taught mathematics at Queens College of the City University of New York and in the New York Public Schools. She served for decades as a trustee in her Bronx New York church. She authored They are Men and Not Gods, and Stone of Help, co-authored with several colleagues, Beloved Educator, and, with her husband, Orita: Rites of Passage for Youth of African Descent in America. Her most recent publication is a collaborative memoir of her involvement in the 1960s student struggle to bring Black Studies to predominantly white academic institutions.

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Last word

James Brown – I’m Black and I’m Proud 44

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