The pronouncements of Donald Trump notwithstanding, it is still possible for Americans to legally travel to land of rum, cigars and vintage cars. Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced new restrictions on Americans wanting to travel to Cuba. No more of the popular “people to people” educational and cultural group tours (The Trump White […]
Read MoreA healthy dose of Cuba
Ready for a tour of Cuba with a focus on healthy living and Afro-Cuban culture? Well, start packing. Could it be that you’re into one of these: Afro-Latino history and culture Yoga Beach life Salsa Vegan/Vegetarianism Art All of the above Or maybe you’d just like to get a jump on Spring Break? If so, […]
Read MoreGHANA: The Year of Return
Any year is a great time to visit this warm and welcoming West African nation. But for African-Americans in particular, 2019 will be special. An easy non-stop flight from the eastern United States. A nation known for its food, its music and its friendly people. And a government that has made a point of saying […]
Read MoreAfrican Slavery: The Dutch Connection
The history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade creates some unexpected links between West Africa and Europe. One of those joins Ghana and the Netherlands. If someone mentions the Netherlands to you today, what comes to your mind? Amsterdam, a great European capital, laced with canals and full of traditional charm? Friendly people with a reputation […]
Read MoreETHIOPIA: Faith still moves mountains
A Canadian university professor has discovered that the ancient practice of carving Christian churches from solid rock, a skill thought lost for half a millennium, is still alive in Ethiopia…but only just. While in Ethiopia for the first time last summer, I saw four of the 11 famed rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. It’s perhaps the […]
Read MoreEgypt’s Black Pharaohs
The Nubians were the most ancient of African civilizations and among its most successful. They conquered Egypt, stymied Rome, and grew rich as merchants and mercenaries. Their men built cities. Their women led battles. And their descendants survive today. Remember when your grade-school teachers taught you all about the Black Africans who ruled Egypt for […]
Read MorePoorism takes a life
[smartslider3 slider=7] A Spanish tourist in Rio de Janeiro is shot dead at a military police checkpoint while touring one of the city’s infamous hill slums called favelas. It calls into question the practice of using poverty as a tourist attraction. It happened this week. The victim was a 67-year-old woman whose car failed to […]
Read MoreTravel for the Senses: Taste
Second of an occasional series Long before there was ever such a thing as a “foodie,” people were traveling the world to escape from their culinary comfort zones and delight their tastebuds. When you come to see the world, come hungry. What are the memories we bring back from our travels? What we saw, wwhat […]
Read MoreTravel for the senses: Sound
First of an occasional series Music — any kind of music — is a great reason to travel. Say what you will about millennials and their successors — and let’s face it, most of us do. But the young Black Americans traveling the world today have figured out something that many of my generation still […]
Read MoreA grand tour of Africa? Yes
With a huge impetus from the African Union, an epic journey covering the length of the Mother Continent is going to become a practical reality in 2018. Back in the 1600s, when Europeans were busily “discovering” lands already populated by peoples of color, well-to-do families would send their kids on on a journey through Europe […]
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