Yearly Archives: 2009

This Wednesday night marks the return of the quickly-rising Somali MC K’naan to Minneapolis. After closing the Pan-African Festival last summer, he is coming to the Varsity Theater in support of his new album, Troubadour.

K’naan’s performance here has more significance than most of his tour stops, given the large number of Somalis living in Minnesota. K’naan himself used to live in Minneapolis, and at the Varsity you can expect an enthusiastic crowd waving Somali flags. K’naan is one of the few Somali MCs to achieve the adoration of Somalis under 30 as well as the respect of older members of the community, those most often suspicious of rap’s effects on young Somalis.

Robbinsdale, Minnesota--Their faces somber they milled into a church in Robbinsdale, a few miles from Brooklyn Park where many Liberians live. There was tension and fear in their voices as they chat among themselves.

These approximately three hundred Liberians were gathered on a chilly Sunday evening to learn how they could petition US legislators, to extend the temporary immigration status (TPS) for about 1000 Liberians in Minnesota. They hope that they will eventually be granted US residency. With about two months before the TPS expiration, an immediate extension is preferred as it would take immigration officials longer to process the paperwork needed for residency.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Chris Hutchins, 24, was a management and business strategy consultant when he moved from New York to San Francisco last November. One month after settling in at the San Francisco office, Hutchins was laid off. He wasn't pleased, but he didn't get upset about being jobless.

Just hours after "Bloody Monday" last week, when 65,000 people received the axe at work, Hutchins launched LaidOffCamp, a discussion-oriented, self-organized "unconference," inspired by his desire to create a positive space for the unemployed and self-employed.

“This is a year of completion for me,” e.g. bailey says in the office of Trú Rúts Endeavors, the multidisciplinary arts organization that he runs with his wife, Sha Cage.

His struggle to fit in America is not unlike that of many African immigrants. He attributes his success as an award-winning multidisciplinary artist and producer to this struggle of finding a home away from home.          

bailey who was born in Saclepea, Liberia, is the son of a white Peace Corps volunteer and a Liberian mother. His father, bailey says, “threw a dart, hit Liberia, and that’s where he got stationed." His mother gave birth to him near the end of his father’s second term; and his parents lost touch after his father's return to America.

Editor's Note: This article, while dated, appeared in Mshale's inauguration print edition.

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”

These were the words that lingered in my mind. As I listened to our new president Barack Obama deliver his inauguration speech, I held onto every single word as if they were instructional. I took in each deliberate pause and every charged statement. And throughout, I thought to myself, ‘Indeed. This is why we’ve gathered. This is what we’ve chosen. And from this we may move forward.’

 Editor's Note: This article, while dated, appeared in Mshale's inauguration print edition.

Washington, DC– ‘Obama-mania’ and ‘Obama-phoria’ easily describe the atmosphere in Washington DC during the week of President Barack Obama’s Inauguration. 

But after my five-day visit ‘pilgrimage’ seemed most apt to describe the huge presence of attendees of African descent. There were African Americans from Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas and elsewhere, as well as people from the Caribbean Islands, as well as Africans from all over the US and the continent. 

In his 457 page autobiographical book “Dreams from My Father”, Barack Obama exposes a great mind destined to greatness.

As Shakespeare once wrote in his philosophical discourse – “some (men) are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” To be fair to Barack Hussein Obama, America’s 44th President and the first African American to occupy the White House, he has earned his greatness.

He literally worked his way up from scratch – from a mere statistic to the most powerful man on the face of the earth! Yes, a remarkable young man!

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, and his new administration face a multitude of extraordinary challenges that demand unified, nonpartisan solutions. The soaring unemployment rate, plummeting stock markets, mortgage crisis, and financial sector chaos make the current economic crisis the top concern for the Obama administration. The two unfinished wars are high priorities as well, with Obama promising to withdraw U.S. troops from the war in Iraq within 16 months and shift the emphasis to the Afghanistan conflict.

Like most kids, Rita Apaloo’s daughter has watched her mother closely. She sees enough value in her mother’s monthly African Women Connect meetings to give her parents some advice.

“Dad should start an African Men Connect group,” she told them.

Rokia Traoré says she’s not a traditional Malian singer.  Listening to her album, Bowmboi, it’s clear she’s not contemporary rock-n-roll either.  While difficult to pigeonhole, her music is easy to appreciate.  BBC Radio endorsed Traoré’s music when they nominated her—three times—for a World Music award.

The wisdom of God flows through each of us, including our leaders.  Once this wisdom is realized and activated, problems will begin to diminish.  We need to continually pray that His wisdom is drawn on each and every day by our leaders and by each of us individually.   
If the results we get aren’t answering our problems, we aren’t solving the problem at the level He expects us to operate.   We need to solve issues at a higher level than the problem was originally created.