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☆ Roam electric motorcycle completes solar-powered 6,000-kilometer journey through Africa
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —An electric motorcycle, made by Swedish-Kenyan manufacturer Roam completed a 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 17 days, using only solar power. “(We wanted) to break a lot of boundaries on how traversing through sub-Saharan Africa is possible without pre-installed charging infrastructure,” Masa Kituyi, Roam product owner and one of the riders on the expedition, tells CNN. However, he insists that this mammoth journey would still be possible for people without a solar support car. Lewis SeymourAccelerating marketThe journey was a collaborative effort between Roam and Stellenbosch University, which launched an Electric Mobility Lab this month, dedicated to advancing sustainable transport solutions. Low operating costs are a key driver, analysts from Mordor told CNN in an email: “Electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline, and electric motorcycles have fewer mechanical parts.

Persons: Masa, Masa Kituyi, Lewis Seymour Kituyi, Stephan Lacock, ”, he’s, Lewis Seymour, Rwanda’s Ampersand, Spiro Organizations: CNN, Stellenbosch University, Electric Mobility, Intelligence Locations: Swedish, Kenyan, Nairobi, Kenya, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Victoria Falls, Chobe, China, Rwanda, Benin, Togo, Uganda, Nigeria, EVs

☆ Art historian and curator Alayo Akinkugbe on reframing Blackness
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-30 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s Note: Curator and art historian Alayo Akinkugbe is CNN Style’s guest editor for the month of November. The child is tucked away in the bottom left-hand corner, but in the mind of curator and art historian Alayo Akinkugbe, his presence fills the entire frame. But Akinkugbe holds a magnifying glass over these slim fragments, off-cuts of the dominant whitewashed narrative of art history, and forces them to take up space. “I think a lot of it was down to the fact that (art history) is viewed as an elite, white field. The coincidence at times feels “sinister” for Akinkugbe, but she believes there is longevity in the increased interest in and support for Black art and artists.

Persons: Alayo Akinkugbe, London CNN — Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s, “, Rossetti, Akinkugbe, Bélizaire, Jacques Amans ’, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, De Agostini, Tate, ”, weren’t, ” Akinkugbe, Polly Alakija, Pius Utomi Ekpei, —, Chris Ofili, Lee Pretious, George Floyd Organizations: CNN, London CNN, National Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, Opera, Getty, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, New York Times Locations: London, Lagos, Nigeria, ”, Falomo, Benin, AFP, Nigerian, British

☆ Nigeria to boycott AFCON qualifier against Libya after players claim they were left stranded at airport overnight
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Nigeria men’s soccer team is back home after being stuck at a remote Libyan airport for over 15 hours, according to Nigeria’s football governing body and team captain William Troost-Ekong. In an Instagram post, the NFF said that the squad was stranded overnight at Al Abraq airport outside of Al Bayda, Libya. “We understand the Al Abraq International Airport is only used for hajj operations. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. But never on purpose!”Later on Monday, Troost-Ekong said the team had traveled back to Nigeria.

Persons: William Troost, ”, Faisal Al, Badri, “, Ekong, Ulrik Pedersen Organizations: CNN, Nigeria men’s soccer, Eagles, of Nations, Nigerian Football Federation, Al, Libyan Football Federation, Reuters, Nigerian, ” CNN, of African Football, Nigerian National Football, CAF, Board, Tunisian, IF Locations: Nigeria, Libya, Africa, Benghazi, Al Abraq, Al Bayda, ”

☆ Auction house withdraws shrunken heads and other human remains from sale following outcry
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —An auction house in England has withdrawn human remains, including shrunken heads and ancestral skulls, from sale following an outcry. Other withdrawn lots include an ancestral skull from the Solomon Islands, another from the Fon tribe in Benin and a double ancestor skull from Congo. The planned sale of another piece, described as a 19th-century horned Naga human skull, drew criticism from Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister of the Indian state of Nagaland. CNN has contacted The Swan auction house, the FNR and the Pitt Rivers Museum for comment. Museum staff removed human remains from its collection of more than 500,000 artifacts, following a three-year review of displays and programming “from an ethical perspective.”Overall, 120 objects containing human remains were removed from view, along with an additional 71 non-biological objects that were in the same displays, the museum told CNN at the time.

Persons: Hugh Hefner, Neiphiu, “, ”, Rio, Laura Van Broekhoven, Swan, Lianne Kolirin Organizations: London CNN, Playboy, Affairs, Forum, Naga Reconciliation, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford, “, CNN Locations: England, Tetsworth , Oxfordshire, Solomon Islands, Benin, Congo, Neiphiu Rio, Nagaland, Rio, India, Naga, Kota, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Ecuador

☆ Rema decided 2024 was the year to rep Benin City
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Lauren Lee | Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —When a Benin City boy like Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema rises to global stardom, selling out international shows and recording the first song led by an African-artist to surpass a billion streams on Spotify, what does he do next? “I got Benin (City) blood rushing in my rushing in my veins,” the singer told CNN, just before his sold-out homecoming show there at the end of August. “I just feel like I needed to have a good body of work tied to my roots.”Larry Madowo interviews Nigerian singer Rema ahead of his Afronation performance in Detroit, Michigan August 17, 2024. In June, Rema dropped his lead single from the album, a collaboration with another Benin City native, Shallipoppi, called “Benin Boys,” a tribute to their hometown. Shortly after, Rema staged a homecoming show in the city, about 186 miles (300 kilometers) east of Lagos.

Persons: “, ” Rema, ”, Selena Gomez, “ It’s, Larry Madowo, Rema, Gregg Canes, Samuel Ogbemudia, Okutoyi, Zerry, Magixx, Lamide Akintobi Organizations: CNN, Records Locations: Benin City, Benin, Africa, Detroit , Michigan, Lagos, “

Garza first became interested in genealogy when he and his father were migrant workers in Texas, listening to his father’s family stories during long hours picking carrots. “I’m not going to say I’m embarrassed or going to apologize for what they did, because I have ancestors on both sides,” Garza said. Courtesy Teresa Vega“Enslavement [and] genocide were designed to cut the ties that bind,” said Teresa Vega, an African American and Puerto Rican genealogist and public educator based in New York. “I had been to Puerto Rico before, but I reconnected with my Taíno and Afro Indigenous side,” Vega said. At that time she was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to own a store selling candles,’” Garcia said.

Persons: Colombia —, South America —, Moises Garza, Garza, “ I’m, ” Garza, ” Gates, ”, Teresa Vega, George Graves, Sampson, “, ” Vega, ” Giselle Rivera, Flores, Giselle Rivera Flores Giselle Rivera, ” Rivera, Alexis Garcia, Princess Nokia, Garcia, Jerusalén Morales, ” Garcia, —, Selina Morales, “ Selina, ’ ” Garcia Organizations: Vega, Latina, Rivera, Botánica Locations: Cartagena, Colombia, South America, Colombian, New York, Texas, Mexican, Mexico, Ghana, Toronto, African American, Puerto Rican, Puerto Rico, Worcester , Massachusetts, Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Latin America, Bronx, …

☆ Nigerian company Autogirl wants to be the Airbnb of car rentals
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Victoria Barauna | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In 2023, it announced it would be expanding to Kenya, with a rollout of 1.2 million electric vehicles. Around the world, transport startups are embracing electric vehicles, and those in Africa are no different. In 2023, it announced it would be expanding to Kenya, with a rollout of 1.2 million electric vehicles. Uncover , a Kenyan skincare brand, says it wants to fill this gap by providing healthy cosmetics that put African women first. ‘‘We want to be the Airbnb of vehicle rentals in Africa and ultimately the world,” Arinze says.

Persons: Chinazom Arinze, ” Arinze, “, Spiro, Clement Di Roma, Simon Maina, Prince William’s, James Oatway, there's, Edwin Maina, Arinze, …, Autogirl, hasn’t, she’s, ’, ‘, Airbnb, ” Organizations: CNN, Babcock University, Getty, Reeddi Technologies, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Kenyan, Hertz, Hyundai, Lexus Locations: Nigeria, Benin, Kenya, Africa, AFP, China, Cameroon, Rwanda, Ghana

Since the arrival in late June of a foreign police force known as the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, criminal attacks here have slowed. But in “red zones” across the city and beyond, a new war is just beginning, as gangs test the still-forming MSS. In other words, the MSS mission has no time to lose. CNNThis mission is designed to break the mold; unlike previous peacekeeping missions in Haiti, the MSS is independent of the United Nations. To dismantle Chen Mechan,’” he said listing the nicknames of notorious Port-au-Prince gang bosses.

Persons: Prince, Toussaint Louverture, Bob Marley’s, ”, Evelio Contreras, Garry Conille –, ” –, Conille, Garry Conille, ” Conille, Prince’s Toussaint, Godfrey Otunge, he’s, Haitian National Police Rameau Normil, ” Otunge, it’s, Al, “, Lamercie, ” Estinfort, –, Mawozo, “ I’m, Lanmo, Chen Mechan, ’ ”, Biden, Haiti Dennis Hankins, CNN he’s, Hankins, ” Hankins, we’re Organizations: Prince CNN —, Haitian National Police, Multinational Security, CNN CNN, CNN, United Nations ’, UNICEF, Regional, CARICOM, State University of Haiti Hospital, “, ” Police, Planet Airways, Kenyans, Kenyan, United Nations, UN, Troops, hasn’t, Normil, Institut, MSS, US, Haitian, Haitian Justice Department, Prisons, IBESR Locations: Washington, Port, Kenya, Kenyan, Haiti, Caribbean, Florida, downtown Port, Prince, Haitian, Jamaica, Benin, Chad, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, United States, France, Canada, South Korea, Italy, India, Al Shabaab, US, city’s, Ganthier, Barbeque

☆ How Benin Bronze Casting Is Still Standing
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Enxhi Dylgjeri | Emily Christian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

In the past few years, Europe and the United States have been returning stolen bronzes from the historical Kingdom of Benin. While today's Benin Bronze casters appreciate repatriation efforts, they say Nigeria's government is not investing enough in them. They fear if this continues, there won't be any more Benin Bronze craftsmen left standing in the next few decades. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Organizations: today's, Business Locations: Europe, United States, of Benin, today's Benin, Benin

☆ Nigeria to London: Nelly Agbogu is on a mission to elevate Africa small businesses with Naijbrandchick
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Ifeanyi Abraham | For Cnn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

To address these challenges, Agbogu launched the Naija Brand Chick Trade Fair, a platform connecting SMEs directly with customers. “Many Nigerian SMEs struggle to reach a buying audience, which is a significant barrier,” she explains. “The trade fair creates a platform where businesses can connect directly with customers.”The trade fair has become a resounding nationwide success attracting thousands of exhibitors yearly since it started in 2018. Shoppers at Naijabrandchick trade fair in Lagos, Nigeria. We are always oversubscribed because entrepreneurs consistently tell us they achieve sales they have never achieved before in just two days at the fair,” Agbogu said.

Persons: Nelly Agbogu, ” Agbogu, ”, Agbogu, “, It’s, Naijabrandchick, Agbogu’s Organizations: CNN, Nellies, ”, Trade, Shoppers, Intercontinental O2, SME, United Arab, “, Wema Bank Locations: Nellies Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria, Nigerian, Benin, London, ”, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Rwanda, Naijabrandchick, Africa, Kenya

☆ This start-up is making artificial hair from bananas
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Leah Collins | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Some people complain that synthetic hair can irritate their scalp and a study of synthetic hair in Nigeria found the presence of potentially harmful heavy metals and chemicals. We want to empower women to make informed decisions about what hair they use and what’s best for them.”Tumusiime says that, unlike synthetic hair, her product is biodegradable, durable and can be easily styled, treated and colored. Since it’s made from discarded banana stems, she adds, it’s also a way to help curb that waste. In the US, St.Louis-based Rebundle also sells hair extensions made from banana fibers, while Nourie Hair offers a hair alternative for braiding made from Ginseng root extract and rosemary. But synthetic hair can be bought for as little as $1 for a bundle.

Persons: Juliet Tumusiime, Tumusiime, Cheveux, ” Tumusiime, it’s, Spiro, Clement Di Roma, Simon Maina, Prince William’s, James Oatway, there's, Edwin Maina, Cheveux Brown, Juliet, Cheveux Organique, “, I’m, ” Organizations: CNN, USAID, Research, Getty, Reeddi Technologies, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Kenyan, Economic Locations: Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Benin, Kenya, AFP, China, Cameroon, Rwanda, France

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow olive oil startup Graza brings in $48 million a yearDuring a visit to Spain, Andrew Benin discovered his passion for high-quality olive oil. He went on to found Graza, a single varietal olive oil, in 2022. Graza is projected to bring in $48.4 million in 2024.

Persons: Andrew Benin Locations: Spain

☆ A Crowning Achievement in a Neighborhood’s Fight Against Air Pollution
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Patricia Leigh Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The East Canfield Village neighborhood of Detroit is not the most likely place to encounter a monumental sculpture of an African crown glittering with gold lowrider paint and soaring high into the trees. Weber’s sculpture, “New Forest, Ancient Thrones,” in the newly designed East Canfield Art Park, was unveiled May 18 in a procession led by West African drummers. The sculpture melds crowns worn by two African queens — Ranavalona III of 19th-century Madagascar, who led her kingdom’s resistance to French colonizers before being exiled, and Idia of Benin, whose military derring-do during her son’s reign in the 16th century helped fend off tribal invaders. Weber’s métier is working in industrial corridors in redlined neighborhoods helping communities of color heal from the effects of environmental and social ills, often a lengthy and collaborative process. He is part of a growing movement called regenerative art, which seeks to revitalize links between communities and their ecosystems.

Persons: Jordan Weber, — Ranavalona III Organizations: Canfield Art, West Locations: Canfield Village, Detroit, Canfield, Madagascar, Benin

☆ Haiti: Why Kenya-led security assistance has still not arrived
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Caitlin Hu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Who are Haiti’s gangs? Complicating the situation is a torrent of smuggled guns and ammunition arming Haiti’s gangs, despite an arms embargo on the island. In October last year, the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) was finally greenlit by the United Nations’ powerful Security Council. More equipment, including armored vehicles and radios, is expected to arrive in Haiti for the MSS over the coming days and weeks. “We believe only the Haitian police can provide long term security for Haiti.

Persons: puncturing, Joe Biden, William Ruto, ” Ruto, ”, Viv Ansamn, Jovenel Moise, Antony Blinken, Al, Bill O’Neill, Ariel Henry, Ayub Abdikadir, Ruto, El Salvador, Felix Ulloa, “, SPNH17, Nou Pap, ’ Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, Haitian, Haiti’s National Police, Relations, Multinational Security, Multinational, United Nations, Security, police, UN, Presidential Council, Kenya’s Citizen, Canada, El, Salvadoran, “, NPD, Haitian National Police Locations: Haiti, Haitian, Port, Washington, Kenya, Al Shabaab, Somalia, Sudan, Congo, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, United States, France, Spain, Canada, Toussaint Louverture, El Salvador

☆ Africa’s richest man says he needs 35 visas to travel in Africa – way more than a European visitor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The 67-year-old entrepreneur’s visa woes have reignited a fresh firestorm about the frustrations of traveling within Africa for Africans. But many African countries still require visas from other Africans and the experience is fraught with discrimination, hostility and sky-high fees. He has also been detained at airports in Kenya and South Africa because of his Nigerian passport. “There’s a fear in richer African countries that people from poorer nations might be looking for a way to permanently move there,” he explains. His new St Kitts passport allows him to go to more African countries than his Nigerian passport.

Persons: Aliko Dangote, ” Dangote, ”, Patrick, Pouyanné, Tayo Aina, Aina, YouTuber, hasn’t, Marco Longari, Alan Hirsch, “, Sotunde, William Ruto, Tayo Organizations: Rwanda CNN, Forum, CNN, African, African Continental Free Trade, Getty, University of Cape, New, Institute, Travelers, East African Community, Kenyan, REUTERS, Reuters Kenyan, St Kitts Locations: Kigali, Rwanda, Nigerian, Africa, “, Benin, The Gambia, Seychelles, Addis Ababa, London, Kenya, South Africa, Caribbean, St Kitts, Nevis, AFP, University of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Southern, West Africa, Abuja, Nigeria, East

☆ Kenyan officials arrive in Haiti ahead of planned security mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A delegation of Kenyan “command staff” has arrived in Haiti, according to a law enforcement source in the country, ahead of the long-delayed arrival of a Kenyan-led multinational security support force in the Caribbean nation. Members of the delegation are also expected to meet with US and United Nations officials in the country, sources said. The UN Security Council last year authorized a multinational mission to support Haiti’s National Police in battling deadly gangs that have seized control of much of the capital Port-au-Prince. But despite strong support from the US and other regional powers, the mission has been mired in uncertainty and legal challenges for months. The council said Tuesday that it met with top Haitian police brass to discuss the multinational mission.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ariel Henry, Korir Sing’Oei, Antony Blinken, “, Price, Joe Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, CNN’s Michael Conte, Audry Jeong Organizations: CNN, Kenyan, US, United Nations, UN Security, Haiti’s National Police, Haitian, Haitian National Police, UN, Canada, Relations, White Locations: Haiti, Caribbean, Kenya, France, Spain, United States, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Chad, Jamaica

☆ How viral olive-oil brand Graza tapped influencers for its largest product launch after slashing its marketing budget
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTwo-year-old Graza has popularized squeeze bottles filled with olive oil that appear in seemingly every food influencer's social videos. And those influencers are playing a key role in the brand's largest product launch to date beyond the squeezable bottles: Beer-can refills. On May 9, Graza rolled out beer cans of olive oil, sending the new product to about 300 creators, said Kendall Dickinson, head of social and influencer marketing for Graza. The goal was to show people how to refill the signature squeezable bottles with more sustainable cans and a kitchen funnel. For example, a TikTok and Instagram video shows how to make onion rings using Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Graza's olive oil.

Persons: —, Graza, Kendall Dickinson, Andrew Benin, influencers, Dickinson, Harris Teeter, We've Organizations: Service, Graza, Business, Procter, Gamble, Walmart Locations: Benin

☆ Benin: The country’s past, present, and future is on display for the first time at the 60th Venice Biennale
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Daniel Renjifo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ancestral African art is a linchpin of identity and a source of inspiration to creatives across the continent. For the first time in the 60-year history of the renowned Venice Biennale in Italy – an arts and culture festival lasting eight months, hosted every other year – Benin is presenting a national pavilion. Hazoumé hopes the exhibition will reiterate his message and inspire other African artists to own their past to fuel creativity. Ishola Akpo sets up his piece titled “Iyalode” at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy. Moufouli Bello draws inspiration from children’s books, Gèlèdé philosophy and Yoruba traditions in this piece titled “Egbe Modjisola," on display at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Romuald Hazoumé's, Jacopo La, Jacopo La Forgia, Romuald Hazoumé, Chloé, Ishola Akpo, Moufouli Bello, we’ll, Hazoumé, Florian Kleinefenn, ” Nwagbogu, “, ”, Gèlèdé, Chloé Quenum, Akpo, I’ve, Nwagbogu, ” Hazoumé Organizations: CNN, French, Smithsonian Museum of African, US, Venice Biennale, African Artist Foundation, Biennale Locations: Africa, West, Benin, Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin, Venice, Italy, “, Rouge, curating, France, Madagascar, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon

☆ 18 ancient Egyptian human skulls are being auctioned for $250 each, in a grim sale of colonial spoils
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA British auction house has been criticized after listing 18 human skulls from ancient Egypt. But experts have raised objections, and have asked for a review of laws around the sale of human remains. This latest episode offers a window into the strange trade in human remains, which is legal in many places worldwide. The shrunken head problemVan Broekhoven has had to grapple with the issue of handling human remains in museum collections. The Pitt Rivers Museum has a collection of shrunken heads — some human — along with other human remains, which were taken off display in 2020.

Persons: —, Dan Hicks, Hicks, Augustus Henry Lane Fox, Pitt Rivers, Semley Auctioneers, Laura Van Broekhoven, Van Broekhoven, there's Organizations: Service, Business, Pitt Rivers Museum, Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, Oxford University Locations: Egypt, Thebes, Benin, Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt, Indonesian

☆ Gangs forced out Haiti’s government. This FBI ‘Most Wanted’ gang leader claims they’re liberating the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Port-au-Prince, Haiti CNN —Vitel’homme Innocent’s picture on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list of fugitives suggests a crazed man – eyes wide and wild, teeth bared. But the man on the gold sofa preferred to talk about a brighter future – one that he claims Haiti’s gangs are prepared to usher in. Abandoned cars on the road between the US Embassy and the Kraze Baryé stronghold in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 28, 2024. Kraze Baryé employs around 100 men and women, according to Innocent’s lieutenant and cousin, the bleach-blond Dezod Augustin, 34. But Haiti’s gangs maintain they deserve a seat at the negotiating table.

Persons: Haiti CNN —, Innocent, Evelio Contreras, “, ” Innocent, de, –, Kraze Baryé, ”, Viv Ansanm, Ariel Henry, Henry, Kraze, “ It’s, ’ Marie, Lucie Bonhomme Opont, Pierre, Louis Opont, territoire perdue, Opont, ’, Jimmy Chérizier, Robin Hood, Sanjou, Dezod Augustin, Gedeon Jean, Prince, Baryé, Delmas, Antony Blinken, Haiti Dennis Hankins, Rick Barton, Haiti’s, CNN Jean, Henry’s, Jean, CNN’s Rachel Clarke Organizations: Haiti CNN, CNN, Haiti’s, Prince, de Mars, United Nations, Haitian National Police, ”, Kenya, Haiti’s National Police, CARICOM, US Embassy, Security, “, Washington, US, UN, Fund, Federal Bureau of, State Department Locations: Prince, Haiti, Tabarre, Haiti’s, Port, balaclavas, Haitian Creole, Haitian, Nairobi, “, Canada, United States, Kraze Baryé, American, France, Kenya, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, it’s, Atlanta

☆ This solo traveler drove from London to Lagos in a Peugeot 107
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —On January 24, content creator Pelumi Nubi, who grew up in London, set off on a solo drive from the UK capital to Lagos, Nigeria in her beloved purple Peugeot 107. In order to ensure that her vehicle would be suitable for the 10,000-kilometer journey, Nubi had it specially modified, adding a bed and a kitchen facility inside. However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges, some more serious than others. Bigger pictureNubi, seen in Kenya before undertaking her London to Lagos challenge, hopes that her travels will inspire us to pursue their dreams. While she believes that she’s now the first Black solo female traveler to have driven from London to Lagos, Nubi isn’t hugely interested in such titles and says that this was never her goal.

Persons: Pelumi Nubi, “ It’s, ”, Nubi, Omololu Olurinde, Kunle, she’d, Omololu, I’ve, ‘ Lumi, “ She’s, she’s, “, it’s, ” Nubi, It’s, Lumi, Nubi isn’t Organizations: CNN, Sunday, Peugeot, Osprey Locations: London, Lagos, Nigeria, France, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigerian, West Africa, Namibia, Ghana, Lake Como, Italy, Spain, Paris, Mauritania, ”, Gambia, Guinea, Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Kenya, Yamoussoukro, South Africa

☆ How African Immigrants Have Revived a Remote Corner of Quebec
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Norimitsu Onishi | Nasuna Stuart-Ulin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Not long ago, the handful of African immigrants in Rouyn-Noranda, a remote city in northern Quebec, all knew one another. There was the Nigerian woman long married to a Québécois man. And, of course, the doyen, a Congolese chemist who first made a name for himself driving a Zamboni at hockey games. A couple from Benin has taken over Chez Morasse, a city institution that introduced a greasy spoon favorite, poutine, to this region. And women from several corners of West and Central Africa were chatting at the city’s new African grocery store, Épicerie Interculturelle.

Persons: Chez, Interculturelle Locations: Rouyn, Noranda, Quebec, Nigerian, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Congolese, Africa, Benin, West, Central Africa

☆ Olive oil prices are skyrocketing. Here's how my startup is managing to keep costs low.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Benin, the cofounder of olive oil startup Graza. Putting out a high-quality olive oil is difficult for a young brand, but it's even harder now as prices hit record highs. Before I launched Graza in early 2022, we purchased nearly 50,000 liters of olive oil from Italy for about $3.10 a kilo. If you know a bit about olive oil production, you'll know that extra virgin olive oil is extremely inefficient to produce — that's one of the reasons it's more expensive. Law enforcement agencies have seized tens of thousands of gallons of olive oil and arrested suspects worldwide for fraud in the past several months.

Persons: Andrew Benin, we've Organizations: Business, Walmart, Target Locations: Italy, Spain, Greece, Graza, We're

☆ ‘Dahomey,’ Documentary About Looted Artwork, Wins Top Prize at Berlin Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Thomas Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The top prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival was given to “Dahomey,” a documentary by the French filmmaker Mati Diop about 26 looted artworks that were returned to Benin from France in 2021. The unconventional feature, narrated in part by the gravelly, imagined voice of one of the artworks, is a playful exploration of the legacy of colonialism and the interplay between history and identity in present-day Benin. It is Diop’s first feature since “Atlantics,” a drama about Senegalese migrants that won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. In Diop’s acceptance speech for the prize, known as the Golden Bear, she said that “Dahomey” was part of the “collapsing wall of silence” around the need to return artworks looted by colonial powers to their original owners. “We can either get rid of the past as an imprisoning burden,” she said, “or we can take responsibility for it.”

Persons: ”, Mati Diop, “, Dahomey ” Organizations: Prix, Cannes Film Locations: Dahomey, French, Benin, France

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the jury at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival pushed back on political questions as the festival kicked off on Thursday, seeking instead to shift the focus to the tough selection ahead for the best movie. ... We are having robust conversations.”Nyong'o is the Berlinale’s first Black jury president and said she felt greatly honored to lead this year’s jury. One question she could not avoid was about the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, which the organizers last week uninvited to the opening gala. Five AfD politicians had been expected to attend since members of all parties in Berlin’s state legislature are invited to events supported with public money. German director Christian Petzold appeared critical about the decision to uninvite the AfD politicians.

Persons: ”, Cillian Murphy, “ It’s, Lupita Nyong'o, ” Nyong'o, Nyong'o, Christian Petzold, Berlinale, Jasmine Trinca, Petzold, Mati Diop, Abderrahmane Sissako, emigrates, Trinca, Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Albert Serra, Oksana Zabuzhko Organizations: BERLIN, Berlin, Kenyan, Germany Locations: Mexican, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Berlin’s, Germany, Italian, French, Senegalese, Dahomey, Benin, West Africa, Mauritian, Ivorian, China, Africa, Berlin

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