Talk Africana

An archive of fashion, photographs and letters telling the remarkable story of the last queen of Madagascar will return home after it was bought at auction by the island’s government.

Simone Williams (USA), from Brooklyn, New York, has officially broken the record for the largest afro (female). Her phenomenal afro is 20.5 cm (8.07 in) tall, 22.5 cm (8.85 in) wide, and 1.48 m (4 ft 10 in) in circumference. Simone...

The lip plate, also known as a lip plug or lip disc, is a form of body modification common in some parts of Africa. The procedure, which involves knocking out the bottom two teeth (sometimes all four), is done at the age of 15-18 and it signifies womanhood.

The Hadza are an an indigenous ethnic group located near Lake Eyasi in the Rift Valley. They are descendants of Tanzania’s aboriginal hunter-gatherers and have occupied their land unchanged for thousands of years. The Hadza are one of the last...

John Hawkins urged the Africans to enter his ship “Jesus of Lubeck,” also known as “The Good Ship Jesus.” for salvation, those who entered soon found they were barred from disembarking. Jesus of Lübeck was a sailing vessel built...

Nigeria’s foremost literary icon, Chinua Achebe would have been 90 today if he were alive. Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic. His first novel Things Fall Apart, is the most widely read book in modern African...

Red and Yellow clay (locally known as ambua) is considered sacred in Huli culture, and is commonly used as body decoration. The upper part of their face is painted red, and the lower part ochre. This simple painting is...

Kenya has been named Africa’s leading tourist destination in 2020 by the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA)

Nana Buluku, also known as Nana Buruku is the female supreme being in the West African traditional religion of the Fon people (Benin, Dahomey) and the Ewe people (Togo). She is easily the most influential deity in West African theology, one shared by many ethnic groups other than the Fon and ewe people.

Senegalese Laamb wrestling is a type of wrestling traditionally performed by the Serer people and now a national sport in Senegal.