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On Loneliness at 3 A.M. in Lagos
It was 3 a.m. in Onikan, a suburb of Lagos. The street below her window was uncharacteristically quiet. In the distance, she could hear the faint thump of a bass-line and the strained, faint chorus of afrobeat. She listened for the shrieks of laughter and enjoyment coming from the building down the road. In the…
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The Anguish of Depression: ‘I Am Trying to Stay Alive’
Many like to use the metaphor of darkness when it comes to depression. My experience is more like a fog: a thing descending slowly; a thick something that surrounds me and distorts the vision of myself and the world around me. One day, there is nothing but sun, and without warning, things that felt like…
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Why the Whole 'Poor Africa' Thing Has to Stop
In a blog entry at xoJane, Nigerian poet-writer Bassey Ikpi checks in on the debate surrounding the “Stop Kony” campaign and white saviors. She says that while such campaigns are laudable, they merely further stereotypes that Africa is constantly in need of saving. Her personal stories highlight the pain of some these misguided perceptions. ……
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Black People Don't Kill Themselves, Right?
When the news came Wednesday morning that beloved icon and creator of Soul Train Don Cornelius had died, there was a collective gasp of disbelief. Though he was 75, there seemed to be an understanding that Cornelius was immortal. For as long as we could remember, he was, as a friend put it, “the arbiter…
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My Odd Fascination With Odd Future
I discovered Frank Ocean one night a few months ago when I was up late, avoiding sleep for one reason or the other, and ended up on YouTube. The young R&B crooner’s unconventional structure and vocals pulled me in. His song “We All Try” became heavy rotation in my headphones as I worked. Then came…
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Black Teens and Suicide: For the Love of Siwe
Siwe Monsanto was a girl after my own heart — talkative, intelligent, funny. Even at age 4, she had the enthusiasm, confidence and spark that all girls are born with but lose somewhere between diapers and dorm rooms. I met her; her brother, Sule; and her mother, Dionne, within months of my moving to New…
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Waiting for Lauryn Hill
For a decade, we have held our collective breaths waiting for the return of the Lauryn Hill. For many of us, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill served as both Greek chorus and sound track to our young adulthoods. Now she’s back with a national tour ahead of her, and adoring fans at the ready. But…
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Show Some Compassion for Kanye
I’ve joked that Kanye was hugged too much as a child. It was a tongue-in-cheek observation, given how the same mind that gave us the 30-minute, visually and metaphorically stunning Runaway movie is prone to hissy fits and meltdowns when he doesn’t get his way or award. There were hints of this from the moment…
