“She’s not coming to take you away.” It’s a hollow promise. An 11-year-old black boy is snatched away from his white foster mom. The life he knew ripped out from under him. It causes a bitterness that lasts well into his teenage years in this thoughtfully and emotionally charged coming-of-age drama.  Writer/director Shola Amoo’s semi-autobiographical portrait recaptures…

In a recent march against police violence, some 200 demonstrators filled the streets, carrying signs reading “Life is Priceless”, “Save our Future” and “Never Again.” But the protest was not in Minnesota or Oklahoma. It was in Kenya, where police have been filmed beating people at markets or as they return home from work. The…

Some of the largest anti-racism protests in Europe have taken place in Belgium, the birthplace of King Léopold II, whose brutal rule of Congo from 1885 to 1908 caused an estimated 10 million Congolese deaths through murder, starvation and disease. This past week, close to 12,000 people gathered in central Brussels. They were targeting the…

Calling it a “dark and shameful week,” South African president Cyril Ramaphosa denounced the latest surge in violence against women, including the murder of a woman eight months pregnant. “Gender-based violence thrives in a climate of silence,” he said. “By looking the other way because we believe it is a personal or family matter, we…

A world court designed to investigate allegations of human rights violations has found itself in the crosshairs of the President of the United States. A new Trump executive order threatening the court’s operations has been condemned by prominent global institutions and individuals as it appears to give cover to human rights abuses committed in the…

A gold mine in Ethiopia’s Oromia state has been anything but a blessing. Residents claim that contamination from the mine, owned by an Ethiopia-born Saudi tycoon, has led to disastrous health problems. Locals say chemicals use to process gold at the open pit mine near Shakiso, 222 miles south of the capital, Addis Ababa, have…

The outgoing president of Burundi was felled by a sudden illness, officially described in a government release as cardiac arrest. The 55-year-old was due to step down in August at the end of his third term which he won amidst unrest and violence, particularly blamed on the authorities and the Imbonerakure — the youth wing…

Years of inaction over the fate of an 18 foot statue of Edward Colston, a 17th century slave trader with the Royal African Company (RAC) was decided this week with the toppling of Colston’s bronze statue in Bristol, England. The statue was pulled down by protestors at a demonstration in solidarity with Black Lives Matter…

Twenty-six years after financing the Rwandan genocide, wealthy businessman and most wanted fugitive, Felicien Kabuga, was nabbed in an upscale French hideout. It was a relief for prosecutors of the Rwandan Genocide tribunal who feared the 84 year old Kabuga could die a free man. He stands accused of masterminding the slaughter of 800,000 Rwandans,…

Mory Kanté, called the “electric griot” for his fusion of contemporary styles with traditional West African influences, passed away this month at the age of 70 of untreated health problems. Mr. Kante’s manager, Juan Yriat, said he died in his sleep after experiencing chest pains earlier in the day. “He suffered from chronic illnesses and…