history - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Nigeria’s ancient Ilorin city – archaeologist uncovers over 1,000 years of history

ILORIN, the capital of Kwara State, is a Nigerian city with a long and rich history. However, much of its distant past is not well known. Archaeology is now uncovering more of this history and the relationships of Ilorin to other ancient parts of the Yoruba world. BOLAJI OWOSENI, Research Fellow in Black Heritage, University of Cambridge Situated in north-central Nigeria and predominantly Yoruba-speaking, Ilorin gained prominence in the late 1700s. It was a significant northern province of the Oyo empire, which was active between the 1500s and early 1800s. Thanks to its strategic location between savannah and forest regions…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Coca-Cola in Africa: a long history full of unexpected twists and turns

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A new book called Bottled: How Coca-Cola Became African tells the story of how the world’s most famous carbonated drink conquered the continent. It’s a tale of marketing gumption and high politics and is the product of years of research by critical writing lecturer Sara Byala, who researches histories of heritage, sustainability and the ways in which capitalist systems intersect with social and cultural forces in Africa. We asked her some questions about the book. SARA BYALA, Senior Lecturer in Critical Writing, University of Pennsylvania What do you hope readers will take away? There are three main takeaways. The first…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwean names are still haunted by the ghosts of colonialism

CULTURE

IN African cultures, the names given to children play an important role because they are often laden with meanings. As a team of professors of literature, linguistics and onomastics (the scientific study of names and naming practices) we have shown in our research that the names parents give their children at birth can help us make sense of many things, including a family’s heritage and events in history. TENDAI MANGENA, Professor of African Studies, University of Leeds Our most recent research paper analyses naming practices in Zimbabwe. It shows that Zimbabweans in the former British colony in southern Africa still…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

The true taste of Chamarel: Colours, flavours, music and history

LIFESTYLE

JACQUES ACHILLES FOR BIRD STORY AGENCY WHEN we hear Mauritius, we imagine clear warm coloured blue turquoise waters and endless white beaches—a true picture, of course, but an incomplete one. The country has much more to offer. The true Mauritian experience possibly lies on the road to Chamarel. Located halfway between the upper lands and the coastal region and surrounded by rivers, mountains, forests, sugar cane and pineapple fields is Chamarel- a village in the southwestern part of Mauritius. Unlike many Mauritian villages, which sacrificed their cultures and structures at the altar of 'responding to tourists' needs,' Chamarel refused to…

Jan

2023

By The African Mirror

A major new exhibition in Nairobi reveals the history of east African art traditions

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MWILI, Akili na Roho (Body, Mind and Spirit) – on in Nairobi, Kenya – is a major international exhibition presenting east African painters who are key players in the modernist art of the region. Modernism in the fine arts refers to a period of experimentation from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, a break from the realism of the past and a search for new forms of expression. Author ANNE MWITI, Lecturer, Kenyatta University The exhibition features a group of artists from different generations who vary in backgrounds, as well as in the themes and forms of their art. They…