Editorial credit: NoyanYalcin / Shutterstock.com Burkina Faso (meaning “Land of Upright People”) has a rich tapestry of Mossi, Gurmanché, Dyula, Bissa, Fula, and San/Khoisan ethnic traditions across roughly 60 languages. Culture centers on mask traditions, ritual dance, oral expression, and vibrant regional festivals like the FESTIMA Mask Festival in Dédougou and FESPACO, Africa’s largest film […]
Editorial credit: Bashi Kikia / Shutterstock.com Botswana, home to around 2.4 million people as of 2024, is largely the nation-state of the Tswana (Batswana) (≈79 %), with Kalanga (~11 %) and San/Khoe groups among others. Tswana cultural values center on Botho‑Ubuntu—a philosophy of community, interdependence, and social cohesion. The official language is English, used for government, business, and […]
Benin—a West African nation with a population of about 13.7 million—is rooted in the legacy of the powerful Kingdom of Dahomey, historic Yoruba‑Gbe cultures, and more recent Francophone influence. Its history of kingdoms like Abomey and Porto‑Novo and its central role in the Atlantic slave trade have deeply shaped its cultural identity, spirituality, and diaspora connections. […]
Angola, a Lusophone nation in Southern Africa, regained independence from Portugal in 1975 after a long colonial struggle and civil war that ended in 2002. It now stands as one of Africa’s fastest‑growing economies, though development remains uneven, especially outside Luanda. Cultural Heritage & “Angolanidade” The concept of angolanidade—a self‑conscious cultural identity movement dating to […]
Editorial credit: hamdi bendali / Shutterstock.com Located in North Africa, Algeria is the largest country on the continent and a regional power with the third-largest economy in Africa, driven largely by hydrocarbons. Its population is projected to reach approximately 47 million in 2025. Cultural Heritage & Identity Algeria’s culture is richly layered—with roots in Berber, Arab-Islamic, […]
By Esther Claudette Gittens In recent years, a growing number of American citizens—many of them children of immigrants, middle-class families seeking value, or globally mobile professionals—have turned to international school systems for their pre-college education. From Finland’s egalitarian model to Germany’s tuition-free rigor, from Singapore’s STEM-focused curriculum to France’s classical liberal arts tradition, these American […]
By Anne Webster A compelling narrative has begun to capture the American imagination: the idea of millions of U.S. citizens obtaining a superior, often free, pre-college education in other countries, then returning to outperform their peers in American universities. This vision speaks to anxieties about the cost and quality of domestic schooling and the promise […]
By Sandy Connors| Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a name synonymous with excellence in Black television history, left an indelible mark on American culture through his groundbreaking portrayal of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. More than just an actor, Warner was a cultural icon, advocate, poet, and musician whose influence shaped generations. […]
Editorial credit: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com The Trump Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit against New York City and Mayor Eric Adams, alleging that sanctuary city policies obstruct federal immigration enforcement. The legal action heightens tensions over states’ rights and public safety. By Mary Campbell New York: On July 24, 2025, the U.S. Department […]
By: Fran Smith |centerforhealthjournalism.org Dr. Eleanor Fleming was nine months into conducting a five-year federally funded study of unconscious bias in dentistry when the government cancelled her grant in April as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to health and science research. Like many researchers who abruptly lost funding in recent months, Fleming was […]