The Northern Violent Protest That disrupted the 2002 Miss World Beauty Pageant.

    Between November 20 and November 23, 2002, a series of religiously motivated clashes engulfed the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, killing approximately 250 people and destroying several properties. Following violent clashes between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, the Miss World beauty pageant was moved to London instead of Abuja, the nation’s capital. A…

Details

The City of California and its Connection to Africa.

The past is fascinating.  The likelihood that one may uncover numerous accounts and justifications for the same incident increases with depth of investigation.  Consider the story of how the state of California got its name.   There is growing interest in a different, possibly true, origin story for California: that it was named after a black queen by the name of Queen Calafia. Although some historical documents claim that the state was named after “calida fornax” (hot furnace) and “cal y fornos” meaning “lime and furnace,”   According to historians, Las Sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián), a widely read novel by a Spanish author by the name of Garci Rodrguez de Montalvo, was written around 1500.  The Island of California hosted the staging of Las Sergas believed to be east of Asia’s continent.  “Know that on the right hand from the Indies lies an island called California extremely near to a side of the Earthly Paradise; and it was filled by black women, without any man existing there, because they lived in the manner of the Amazons, Montalvo said.  They were courageous and extremely powerful, with lovely and solid physique. With its high cliffs and rugged shores, their island was the strongest in the entire world. Because there was no other metal on the island but gold, all of their weapons and the harnesses they used to tame wild animals so they could be ridden were made of gold.“ The name California was given to the island of Montalvo by its queen, Califia, who is thought to have been a beautiful black Moor and a pagan.  She set out on a mission to gather a force of female warriors and sail from California with them in order to fight alongside Muslims defending Constantinople against Christians. Even though Queen Califia would eventually lose, she grabbed the attention of many people all over the world, particularly the Spanish adventurer Hernán Cortés, who would later discover and give the state of California its name. Why is this crucial?  According to historian John William Templeton, “Califia is a part of California history, and she also underscores the idea that Cortes had 300 black people with him when he named this place California.”empleton, who curated the 2004 California Queens exhibit at the African American Historical and Cultural Society Museum in San Francisco, said it was part of a larger story of Africans being Europeans in the 15th century were regarded as…

Details

History of Nigerian Immigration Service.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a government organization tasked with overseeing migration in Nigeria. The background of the Nigerian immigration service is provided below. Nigeria Immigration Service’s history. Since being separated from the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) in 1958, the NIS has undergone a number of changes over the years. The Chief Federal Immigration…

Details

Did Ojukwu Murder Major Nzeogwu?

An ominous anniversary. The last week of July 1967 saw the passing of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. While everyone agrees that he passed away, there is still disagreement over how and by whose hands he passed away. All kinds of rumors and unfounded tales have circulated in conspiracy-ridden Nigeria, claiming that Nzeogwu was killed in…

Details

Wole Soyinka Declared wanted for Disrupting National Stability during 1965 Election.

Following the fraudulent regional election in 1965 that restored him to power as Premier of the Western Region, Chief Akintola was scheduled to deliver a victory speech. The tapes containing the Premier’s pre-recorded speech were allegedly taken from the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) at Ibadan on October 15, 1965, just before the speech was to…

Details