Black History Bites

The Mogadishu sultanate was a sultanate in the southern region of Somali territory that was distinguished in its trading network until it was taken over by the Ajuran Empire in the 13th century. The Ajuran Sultanate was another powerful sultanate that established itself from the early to mid-13th century, until its decline in the early 17th century. They controlled many southern-central regions in...

Dapper Dan is both the bright mind behind reworked logos and screen-printed monograms of fashion houses such as Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and MCM for luxury streetwear, as well as the inventor of the process for screen printing onto leather, used in luxury automobile interiors. He currently works with Gucci on their Diversity Council, as well as through an appointment-only atelier in Harlem whe...

At BLAM UK we firmly believe in giving people their flowers while they’re still alive to enjoy them! It is why we are always so happy to talk about a fashion stylist icon such as Misa Hylton.

What’s the point of supporting Black business? A business is a business right, it doesn’t matter who it’s owned by. Wrong! As Black people it’s imperative that we support our own and this episode will tell you why.

The Haitian Revolution was instrumental in triggering the collapse of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the abolition of slavery around the world. Listen to learn more about the individuals involved and the catalyst for the Revolution.

Imagine knowing a song your whole life, then finding out it’s actually a cover. Welcome to the life of a Jamaican child! Discover covers and remixes you probably didn’t even know existed.

This week on Black History Bites, we are discussing the history of Black women sporting long acrylic nails. Did you know that acrylic nails were invented in the 1950’s? 1954 was the year in which Fred Slack, a dentist, broke his fingernail at work and decided to use dental products to create a temporary replacement. He later went on to create a company called ‘Patti Nails’ with his brother making...

This week on Black History Bites, we are learning about the cultural and religious importance of the New Yam Festival in Western Africa. The New Yam Festival is celebrated throughout the whole of Africa, but it is celebrated the most in Nigeria and Ghana.

Food is a huge deal to Black American culture in the US! In today's episode, we'll be looking at the idea of culinary retention from Africa as enslaved Africans were taken and brought to the United States. Foods such as gumbo, hot sauce, and Juneteenth specials have strong historical ties to the Motherland, presenting the social collectivity of the diaspora!

Today we're exploring how African food traditions are closely linked to Afro-Latinx and Caribbean cuisine. Looking at foods such as rice and peas and the popular Brazilian food acaraje. Its strongly advised that you don't listen to this episode on an empty stomach!

Today we are looking at Black foods in Africa, with a focus on West Africa. From jollof rice, to stew, to plantain, to pounded yam — many of the foods across the continent are very similar with slight alterations and differing names. We will also learn about how the climate in these places affects local food traditions.

Black cowboys have been a major part of Black global history and yet have been sidelined in history. Recently, there has been a resurgence and realisiation that African-Americans were some of the first, highly skilled, trailblazing, and most famous cowboys who were and are instrumental in developing cowboy culture in the United States. Even more, Black cowboys are not historical relics of the past...

Afrofuturism has long used technoculture and science fiction as a lens for understanding the Black experience. Expressed through art, music, philosophy and various forms of media, it explores the Black experience across the African Diaspora. It places the imagination at the core by providing an alternate narrative for understanding Black experiences, often by chronicling stories of alien abduction...

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore the African experience for both diasporic and continental Africans. Afrofuturism aims to connect those from the African diaspora with reimagined and revitalised African ancestry of the future. The term Afrofuturism has its origins in Black science fiction. Today it is generally used to refer to lite...

The Haitian Revolution is one of many examples of Black resistance and liberation against systems of slavery and colonial rule. 

The Luo have a very rich arts culture and often perform dance music and use musical instruments and costumes during ceremonies and funerals.

Have you heard of the Griots? Listen to find more about the history of oral traditions in Africa and how it has influenced modern rap.

Did you know that there are over 3000 cultural groups in Africa? That's potentially 3000 different African artistic expressions. African art forms include sculpting, pottery, painting, drawing, textiles, clothing, and many more

The ancient African continent was made up of a number of diverse hierarchal societies which primarily determined people’s social standing.

Dugu is a healing ceremony in which Garifuna community members come together to call upon ancestral spirits - known as ‘Gubida’ - to help heal or aid the passing of a sick person.

This episode looks at a Caribbean funeral tradition called Nine Nights. You might have even attended one?

Black British English - also known as Black British Vernacular or Black English Vernacular - is a language in its own right, not a dialect! 

Winti is one of the purest African religions found in the diaspora.  This episode moves away from the Caribbean and takes us to Suriname in South America. 

Vodou is one of the most demonised, stigmatised and even criminalised religions in the world. But have you ever really considered why that is? 

Santería, seen in Cuba is a direct descendent of the Yoruba methodology of the Orisha and so is Shango, a religion practiced in Trinidad and Tobago.  This series about African Religions in the Diaspora seeks to explore different religions across the Caribbean and the Americas to help understand their African roots and how they are practiced today!