The Shaman's Apprentice features Maroon Society

An inspiring film about ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin and his efforts to preserve the expertise of native healers in the depths of the Amazon rain forest. What is most auspices is the part on the the autonomous Afrakan (Maroon) society in Suriname and their medical wisdom.


watch at Linktv.org
The Shaman's Apprentice

Adinkra - Defining Intelligent Design

"Doubly-even self-dual linear binary error-correcting block code," first invented by Claude Shannon in the 1940's, has been discovered embedded WITHIN the equations of superstring theory!

Why does nature have this? What errors does it need to correct? What is an 'error' for nature? More importantly what is the explanation for this freakish discovery?

The most obvious conclusion for this discovery is Intelligent Design

For more from Dr. Gates visit SciTech Media:
Dr. S. James Gates - Does Reality Have a Genetic Basis?

Afrakan Powerhouses Meet in Philly

                                                                                  (click to enlarge)

Philadelphia has long been a hot bed and center point for Afrakan cultural rebirth. From some of the earliest openings of Yoruba temples to the decades-spanning Odunde festival (which is upcoming next month), the African American Museum to numerous Afrakan centered schools Philly now hosts some of the biggest names in the Afrakan centered community. All to be held at the Imhotep Charter School, the Afrocentricity International conference promises to be an event of imapact.

Black Comic Book Convention

Afrakan Landscape Ravaged by Climate Change

The effects of climate change in Afraka are clearly visible in the regions surrounding Lake Tukana. The damming up of the Omo River in Ethiopia, which once fed Lake Turkana, hastens the decline of the Lake which once provided wealth and nourishment. Moreover, climate change from the West's excessive carbon emissions results in rainfall that comes sparingly every two years. Drought and famine are causing wars between villages for scare resources, where once a lush environment provided for the regions inhabitants. Efforts to stop the complete disappearance of both the river and the people it once sustained are underway...

Afronauts-To Boldly Going Where no Afrakan has Gone Before...The Zambian Space Program.

The sixties was one of the most impactful decades for  Afrakan people the world over. Afrakans were seen  freeing their countries from colonial rule, fighting for Civil Rights, developing Black Power organizations and exploring the cultural mores that uniquely defined themselves. It was a time when Afrakans could reach for the stars and maybe even touch them.

Such was the case when Mkula Nkoloso a schoolteacher in Zambia declared "We're going to Mars!" Written in a 1964 newspaper article Nkoloso saw Afronauts beating Cosmonauts and even Astronauts in the space race. Here is an interesting article of what follows.

"Our rocket crew is ready," continued Nkoloso, explaining that his aspiring troupe of space explorers had been gearing up for their interstellar journey in the headquarters of the academy he'd set up on the outskirts of Zambian capital Lusaka.

From within what he called the "Academy of Sciences and Space Technology," Nkoloso had been studying Mars through telescopes and rigorously training his would-be Afronauts.

Still courtesy  "Afronauts" a film by Frances Bodomo  

Matha Mwambwa would be the first woman to go to space accompanied by an unnamed missionary and two specially trained cats informed Nkoloso, the director of the space academy.

The program failed to receive a $7 million grant Nkoloso had requested from UNESCO and as such was not taken seriously by the government of the newly independent Zambia.

In 2010, photographer Cristina De Middel was searching for "unbelievable stories" for a new personal project she was hoping to develop.

Fascinated by Nkoloso's visionary and dreamy perspective on life, De Middel set about creating an imaginary documentation of his elusive endeavors some 50 years ago.The result is "The Afronauts," an arresting photo book.

In the self-published book, De Middel self-consciously conjures up the story of the unofficial space program piece by piece. She uses a series of cinematographic images, including staged depictions of discarded oil barrels, makeshift spaceships, elephant-hugging spacemen and flying cats, as well as vintage-looking maps, documents and newspapers cuttings.


Throughout, facts and fiction are intertwined as part of an intriguing narrative which challenges viewers' perceptions about what's real and what's not.

Whilst playful, De Middel's dream-like images are not intended to make fun of Nkoloso's fantastical, yet high-flying, ambitions

Her speculative pictures exude a feeling of nostalgia and sympathy, celebrating the audacious and naive spirit of a past era where grandiose dreams were not limited by circumstances.

De Middel says, the extraordinary tale of the forgotten Zambian space program presented a chance to talk about Africa from a different perspective.

"The only honest approach I could do to that story was documenting my cliché, and that's what I really wanted to do, because, in a way, I was raising awareness of the existence of that cliché and what we expect from Africa," she says.

"Not only because the story is positive, in terms of African people having dreams, but also evidencing what we expect from Africa in terms of aesthetics and behavior."

edited and taken from a CNN article by Teo Kermeliotis

In related news: Frances Bodomo revisits the Zambian Space Program in the film entitled Afronauts. Heres the trailer...

Culture-Conscious Animation Hits the Scene

Nigerian animator Adamu Wazi has produced an educational cartoon to teach children about African culture. Tired of African children watching only imported cartoons that didn't reflect their lives, Waziri decided to do something about it.

His creation is "Bino and Fino," a cartoon aimed at three to five year olds, about a brother and sister who live with their grandparents in an unnamed African city.

"I want to create a brand that's as good as Dora the Explorer, Charlie and Lola, quality wise, made in Nigeria, that is educational, and also shows positive aspects of Nigerian/African culture, not just to Nigerian or African kids but to kids everywhere," says Waziri.

The pilot episode celebrated Nigeria's Independence Day and looked at the issue of colonialism. The cartoon has also had segments teaching the numbers one to 10 in the Nigerian Igbo and Yoruba languages.

He adds that he wants the program to "teach kids and show that the stuff you see on TV of starving people isn't the only thing in Africa.