Selected article

ThePan-African flag—also known as theUNIA flag,Afro-American flag,Black Liberation flag andvarious other names—is atri-color flag consisting of three equal horizontal bands of (from top down)red,black andgreen. TheUniversal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) formally adopted it on August 13, 1920 in Article 39 of theDeclaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World, during its month-long convention atMadison Square Garden inNew York City. Variations of the flag can and have been used in various countries and territories in theAmericas to representGarveyist ideologies.

Selected biography

Selected history

Thehistory of Africa begins with theemergence ofhominids,archaic humans and – at least 200,000 years ago –anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), inEast Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developingnation states. The earliest knownrecorded historyarose in theKingdom of Kush, and later inAncient Egypt, theSahel, theMaghreb and theHorn of Africa.

Following thedesertification of theSahara, North African history became entwined with theMiddle East andSouthern Europe while theBantu expansion swept from modern dayCameroon (West Africa) across much of the sub-Saharan continent in waves between around 1000 BC and 0AD, creating a linguistic commonality across much of the central and Southern continent.

During theMiddle Ages,Islam spread west from Arabia to Egypt, crossing the Maghreb and the Sahel. Some notable pre-colonial states and societies in Africa include theAjuran Empire,D'mt,Adal Sultanate, Warsangali Sultanate,Kingdom of Nri,Nok culture,Mali Empire,Songhai Empire,Benin Empire,Oyo Empire,Ashanti Empire,Ghana Empire,Mossi Kingdoms,Mutapa Empire,Kingdom of Mapungubwe,Kingdom of Sine,Kingdom of Sennar,Kingdom of Saloum,Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom ofCayor,Kingdom of Zimbabwe,Kingdom of Kongo, Empire ofKaabu, Kingdom ofIle Ife,Ancient Carthage,Numidia,Mauretania, and theAksumite Empire. At its peak, prior to Europeancolonialism, it is estimated that Africa had up to 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs.

From the mid-7th century, theArab slave trade saw Muslim Arabs enslave Africans. Following an armistice between theRashidun Caliphate and theKingdom of Makuria after theSecond Battle of Dongola in 652 AD, they were transported, along with Asians and Europeans, across theRed Sea,Indian Ocean, andSahara Desert.

Selected culture

Haitian Vodou (/ˈvoʊduː/,French:[vodu], also written asVaudou/ˈvoʊduː/; known commonly asVoodoo/ˈvuːduː/, sometimes asVodun/ˈvoʊduː/,Vodoun/ˈvoʊduːn/,Vodu/ˈvoʊduː/, orVaudoux/ˈvoʊduː/) is asyncreticreligion practiced chiefly inHaiti and theHaitian diaspora. Practitioners are called "vodouists" (French:vodouisants[voduizɑ̃]) or "servants of the spirits" (Haitian Creole:sèvitè).

Vodouists believe in a distant and unknowableSupreme Creator,Bondye (derived from the French termBon Dieu, meaning "goodGod"). According to Vodouists, Bondye does not intercede in human affairs, and thus they direct their worship toward spirits subservient to Bondye, calledloa. Every loa is responsible for a particular aspect of life, with the dynamic and changing personalities of each loa reflecting the many possibilities inherent to the aspects of life over which they preside. To navigate daily life, vodouists cultivate personal relationships with the loa through the presentation of offerings, the creation of personal altars and devotional objects, and participation in elaborate ceremonies of music, dance, andspirit possession.

Vodou originated in what is nowBenin Republic and developed in theFrench colonial empire in the 18th century among West African peoples who were enslaved, when African religious practice was actively suppressed, and enslaved Africans wereforced to convert toChristianity. Religious practices of contemporary Vodou are descended from, and closely related to,West African Vodun as practiced by theFon andEwe. Vodou also incorporates elements and symbolism from other African peoples including theYoruba andKongo; as well asTaíno religious beliefs,Roman Catholicism, and European spirituality includingmysticism and other influences.

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  Image 1TheBlack star of Africa can be found in manyAfrican flags, including in African national, ethnic and religious symbols. In here, it is visible in theFlag of Ghana.
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  Image 2Nok seated figure; 5th century BC – 5th century AD; terracotta; 38 cm (1 ft. 3 in.);Musée du quai Branly (Paris). In this Nok work, the head is dramatically larger than the body supporting it, yet the figure possesses elegant details and a powerful focus. The neat protrusion from the chin represents a beard. Necklaces from a cone around the neck and keep the focus on the face.
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  Image 3Picture ofMartin Delany (May 6, 1812 – January 24, 1885). Delany was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, physician, soldier and writer, and one of the first proponents ofblack nationalism. Delany is also credited with the Pan-African slogan "Africa for Africans".
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  Image 4ThePan-African flag with the red, black and green designed by theUNIA in 1920. Currently, the three colours represent: red: the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry, and shed for liberation; black: black people whose existence as a nation, though not a nation-state, is affirmed by the existence of the flag; and green: the abundant natural wealth of Africa.
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  Image 5Picture ofPatrice Lumumba (2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961). AnAfrican nationalist andPan-Africanist. Lumumba was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first Prime Minister of the independentDemocratic Republic of the Congo (thenRepublic of the Congo) until September 1960.
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  Image 6Picture of Rastaman inBarbados, wearing theRastafari colours of green, gold, red and black on arastacap.
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  Image 7Dr.Frances Cress Welsing, an African-American physician receiving a community award at the National Black L.U.V, Festival in Washington DC (21 September 2008)
  Credit: Elvert Barnes
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  Image 8Picture ofJulius Malema. TheAfrican nationalist andPan-Africanist, and current leader of theEconomic Freedom Fighters (EFF) inSouth Africa.
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  Image 9Picture ofWinnie Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and ex-wife ofNelson Mandela
  Credit: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com

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