Issue # 513
TH E
AF R IC A N
MARCH 14-20, 2022
C OM MU NIT Y
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NE W S PAP E R
MEET ZAYNAB MOHAMED WHO IS RUNNING FOR THE MINNESOTA STATE SENATE BY CYNTHIA SIMBA PAGE 6
PHOTO: COURTESY ZAYNAB MOHAMED
One of a handful of women running to be state’s first Black female state Senator
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Brooklyn Park wrapped up Black History Month with focus on youth health and wellness By Panashe Matemba-Mutasa Mshale The Brooklyn Park Recreation and Parks ended Black History Month celebrations with a showcase focusing on health and wellness of the African and African American communities. The event, which was titled “Black Health and Wellness: How are the Children?” was held at the at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center on Feb 25.
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Marcellus Davis, Brooklyn Park’s racial equity, diversity, and inclusion manager, said the suburban Minneapolis city added
Claudia Diggs works as a Program coordinator at BrookLynk, an organization that provides youth with access to employment services, described her passion for youth wellbeing and how it inspired her to help coordinate the showcase. Diggs, who works closely with youths between the ages of 14 and 24, said the coronavirus pandemic has especially created dire circumstances for young people. “The theme really resonates with me,” said Diggs. “Mental health is such an important aspect of overall wellbeing, and in difficult times like these, it is critical we as city officials provide as many resources to help as we can.”
Members of Afrocontigbo, a Twin Cities dance company, performing during a Black History Month event at the Brooklyn Park Community Center on Friday, February 25, 2022. Photo: Richard Ooga/Mshale
the question “How are the Children?” to this year’s national Black History Month theme of “Black Health and Wellness” because no community can be healthy and well if its children are not. “It’s a common African belief that if the children in the community are doing well, then the community is doing well,” Davis said. “We wanted this event to promote the wellbeing of our youth because they are the future.” According to Davis, the theme was inspired by Dr. Joy DeGruy’s book “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome”, in which the author—a descendant of American slaves—talks about her travels to the motherland, Africa. In the book, DeGruy writes about how locals always greeted her her by asking, “How are the children?”
As part of the theme, the event also featured a vaccination clinic organized by Brenda Morales, a city official who works in the Department of Administration. The vaccination fair also included a $25 gift card prize to incentivize people to get the jab. Despite this, Morales said that getting the fair started was a challenge. Racism in the medical field has bred an attitude of skepticism in the Black community, and this distrust deters many from taking advantage of vaccination opportunities, she said. “When we look at the data, vaccination rates among Black Americans are low statewide,” Morales said. “It is a systemic issue, but if we start small by tying the importance of vaccination to Black History on Pg. 5
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Guest Commentary by Khalil Thompson
When it comes to COVID-19, consider the Messenger “I don’t want to take the vaccine…it came out too fast.” “I’ll drink ginger juice and rely on vitamins to increase my immune system naturally.” “I heard the vaccine causes infertility.” These are just examples of what our organization, Black Men Engaged, is hearing from people in Jacksonville, Florida, and Albany, Georgia—two cities where the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted African Americans. Two cities where we’re working towards combating covid misinformation. Research shows that men are more likely to die of Covid-19 and, in particular, Black men aged 35 to 44 are dying at nine times the rate of white men in the same age range. The data suggests that social factors—like occupation, behavioral patterns, and underlying health issues—may play an outsized role in these disparate outcomes. Early in the pandemic, Albany was a hotspot for the virus in early 2020. A funeral became a superspreader event leading to over 100 hospitalizations and likely 10 deaths. Comments like these beg the question: where do you get information about health and medicine? While Covid-19 has killed one out of every 800 African Americans, some of our qualitative research and informal anecdotes indicate that there is still a segment of the Black population in Albany and Jacksonville that remains disinterested in getting the Covid-19 vaccine. And the overarching theme from our work is that there’s a lack of true understanding about the nature of the vaccine: how it works and why it works. This Black History Month, the theme is Black Health and Wellness. Improving the health of the Black community is our core mission. And, it starts with educating our people on the facts. Mis- and disinformation (false information that’s mistakenly spread and false information that’s spread deliberately to cause harm, respectively) has become rampant in American culture since the rise of social media. It’s up to us to be discerning and to take a hard look at the source of information being supplied.
Join the Mshale Text Club: Text AFRICA to 24587 or follow us onTwitter.com/Mshale Community News, updated daily on Mshale. com © 1995-2022 Mshale Communications, Inc. Mshale – The African Community Newspaper Editorial & Corporate Office: 2 E Franklin Ave., Suite 1 Minneapolis, MN 55404 Mailing Address: P.O.BOX 80071, Minneapolis, MN 55408 Tel: 612-454-5648 Email: mshale@mshale.com www.mshale.com President & Publisher: Tom Gitaa Contributing Editor: Edwin Okong’o Staff Writers: Kari Mugo, Bethel Gessesse, Cynthia Simba, Panashe Matemba-Mutasa Contributing Writers: Susan Budig Design & Layout: Staff Photographers: Richard Ooga, Bethel Gessesse, Jasmine Webber Distribution: Bluebird
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While it’s common practice to get your news from your social media feeds, as you’re scrolling, I invite readers to look deeper than the headlines. Consider the messenger. Ask yourself: What are the messenger’s credentials? Does this news outlet report events with a particular spin or bias? We encourage everyone we interact with during the course of our outreach to have an informed conversation about the Covid-19 vaccine with healthcare providers in their community and think critically about the news that reaches them. Too many lives have been lost to this pandemic and we have to face the reality that co-morbidities in our community often leave us more vulnerable to this illness. It will take us a generation to truly understand and quantify “Who and What’s Been Lost” as a result of this pandemic, but we know the family member who was absent from the dinner table over the holidays or the loved one lost too soon. The birthdays, the life milestones, the anniversaries that will never be celebrated again. According to the National Institutes of Health, over 140,000 U.S. children lost a caregiver to Covid-19. Disproportionately, this impacted children and families of color. There’s an old axiom in the Black community: “When America gets a cold, Black people get the flu.” It means that because of the socio-economic challenges and health disparities rooted in racism, Black people are more likely to experience worse health outcomes during a public health crisis than their white counterparts. Thinking about it through the lens of Covid-19, that fact is especially true. Covid-19 continues to disproportionately impact Black people, and in 2020, Covid-19 reduced the overall life expectancy of Black people by a staggering three years. During this Black History Month, let us all pledge to be the generation to end that axiom, starting by protecting Black people from adverse health effects and death due to Covid-19. Through repeated, face-to-face interactions in the community, Black Men Engaged will continue to be a source of reputable information about the virus as the science continues to evolve. The fight is not over. Let us march on until victory is won. Khalil Thompson is Executive Director of Black Men Engaged. He wrote this for Black Press USA.
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Nairobi, Mombasa, Port Louis and Accra airports named the best in Africa By Tom Gitaa Mshale
Airports Council International (ACI) World on Thursday announced the recipients of this year’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. The annual awards recognize “airport excellence in customer experience worldwide.” Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi was named as the sole Best Airport in Africa overall in the 5-15 million passengers-per-year category – the top most category for Africa. The airport is the hub for the national carrier Kenya Airways, the only airline operating a non-stop flight from the East and Central African region to New York. This is the second year in a row the Nairobi airport is receiving the award. In 2020 it tied in the category with Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria. Kotoka International Airport in Accra tied with Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius for Best Airport in
the continent in the 2-5 million passengers-per-year category. This is Kotoka’s second win in a row, although in 2020 it was the sole winner. In the under 2 million passengerper-year category, another Kenyan airport, Moi International Airport in the port city of Mombasa took top honors, the second year in a row it has done so. The 2021 results were based off more than 370,000 customer surveys conducted at airports in 91 countries. “After a second year of the pandemic, this year’s ASQ winners are especially reflective of customer experience leadership during the most challenging time in our sector’s history,” said ACI World Director Luis Felipe de Oliveira in a statement. “We are exceedingly proud of their stellar leadership in delivering the very best customer experience.” In response to the pandemic, the ASQ survey recently added health and hygiene questions to assess
A close up of the fuselage and the cabin of a Kenya Airways Embraer 190 airplane parked at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on January 13, 2020. On Thursday, March 10, 2022 the airport was named the Best in Africa by Airports Council International in the top most category available to Africa, the 5-15 million passengers-per-year category. Photo: Shuttertsock
customer feedback on the measures airports are taking to address customer concerns. In Best Hygiene Measures category, Aéroport de la Réunion Roland Garros in SainteMarie, Réunion and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius took top honors in Africa. In North America, the top most category, over 40 million passengers-per-year, was a tie between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tied with Salt Lake City International Airport for the title of best in North America in the 25-40 million passengersper-year category while Tampa International Airport was the sole winner in the 15-25 millionpassengers-per-year category. The airports will be honored later this year at the ASQ Ceremony during the ASQ Forum and ACI World Customer Experience Global Summit in Krakow, Poland.
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Black History from Pg. 2 the goal of Black health and wellness, we can begin to make a difference in communities.” The event also highlighted the need to address issues of gun violence as part of the overall goal of achieving Black wellness and health. Antonio Smith is the youth services liaison and city lead for Cities United, an organization that works to reduce incidents of shootings and homicides involving Black boys and young men. He said Cities United had been hosting Black History Month showcases for seven years. His goal is not only to continue to support local showcases, but to make Black History month a celebration every month, he said. “Our work focuses on youth wellbeing through revitalizing hope, health, and safety,” Smith said. “When it comes to kids who are exposed to community violence, especially, I think the aspect of restoring hope is so crucial. Our children need to believe that they can have a future.”
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Black students from the area spoke about their experiences in schools. They said they experienced a noticeable difference in the way their teachers treated them when compared to their white peers. “Teachers are quicker to take disciplinary action when the student is Black,” the students said. “It’s so tiring and it really takes a toll on your mental health.” The students also shared their perspectives on what could be done to improve the experience of Black students in public schools. “A more concerted effort to acknowledge Black History Month would make me feel so much safer,” another student said. “I think it’s important for schools to celebrate these things because sometimes it’s the only way we feel seen as students of color.” Davis, the racial equity, diversity, and inclusion manager of Brooklyn Park, also spoke about the realities of white supremacy
The TKO Drumline performs at a Black History Month event at the Brooklyn Park Community Center on Friday, February 25, 2022. Photo: Richard Ooga/Mshale
Musician Sesay performing during a Black History Month event at the Brooklyn Park Community Center on Friday, February 25, 2022. Photo: Richard Ooga/Mshale
and how it has harmed Black children in education, the justice system, and in day-to-day life. “In both African and African American communities, mental health has been something that we
do not speak of,” said Davis. “And with the advent of social media, our kids can now consume a daily dose of Black death on YouTube and Instagram. Therefore, it’s very crucial that we check in and ask, ‘How are the children?’”
A family poses for a picture during a Black History Month event at the Brooklyn Park Community Center on Friday, February 25, 2022. Photo: Richard Ooga/Mshale
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Meet Zaynab Mohamed, the Somali American woman running for Minnesota State Senate By Cynthia Simba Mshale When Zaynab Mohamed began visiting the Minnesota state legislature in St. Paul to advocate for her community, she noticed something very troubling. “What inspired me was going to the Senate speaking to legislators, and never seeing myself in there, never seeing anyone who looks like me,” she said. Mohamed decided to do something about it. The 24-year-old Somali immigrant is running to represent District 63 in the Minnesota State Senate. “For the past two years I’ve been at the state level advocating for simple things around issues of criminal justice reform, public safety, around housing and other things,” she said. Mohamed launched her campaign in December after Sen. Patricia Torres Ray—a Colombian immigrant who made history in 2006 when she became the first Latina to be elected to the State Senate—announced that she would retire at the end of the current term. Mohamed is one of two African immigrant women who are seeking election to the Minnesota State Senate in November. The other is Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley, a Kenyan immigrant, who announced last year that she would be running to represent District 40, but ended up in District 38 when redistricting was done. If one of them is elected, she would make history by becoming the first Black woman, and first African immigrant woman to serve in the upper house of the Minnesota legislature. Additionally, Mohamed would be the first Muslim woman, and the youngest senator in the state. Since launching her campaign, Mohamed has received a series of endorsements from several leaders, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, who made history in 2018 when she became the first Somali-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Mohamed has also been endorsed by every elected member in her district. She is running a grassroots campaign that has so far raised more than $50,000. Andrew Johnson, a Minneapolis city councilman representing Ward 12, said he chose to support Mohamed because she reminds him of Omar, who had worked as his campaign manager when he first ran for office in 2013, and later as his first senior policy aide before she ventured into active politics. “I see in Zaynab the same qualities I saw in Ilhan,” Johnson said. “She is somebody who knows the issues well, and who has a natural ability to build coalitions and lead.”
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Johnson, who has been a member of the Minneapolis city council since 2013, said he would like to see Zaynab continue the legacy of Torres Ray. He said that he thinks Zaynab is the right person to work on legislation without compromising her values. “I just encourage folks to get a chance to know Zaynab because there is so much depth of knowledge and wisdom and skills that she brings to the table that really qualify her for this role,” he said. Mohamed said she is running to address issues in labor rights, economic justice, healthcare, education, affordable housing, and environmental justice. She considers healthcare to be amongst the most critical for people in her district. It’s also a personal one to her. “I only recently got health insurance for the first time in my life,” she said. Mohamed explained that she had been uninsured until January of this year, when she began her work as a policy aide for Jason Chavez, who represents Ward 9 in the Minneapolis City Council. She said that being uninsured was a source of great anxiety for her, especially during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. “I got COVID-19 in 2020 August,” she said. “I remember having anxiety on top of the issues that come with COVID and I was really struggling.” Mohamed said she would not have been able to seek health treatment if it wasn’t for laws that made it possible for COVID-19 patients to have their medical bills covered. “If we weren’t in a global pandemic, I would not have gone to the hospital as quickly as I did,” she said. Another issue that Mohamed said she wanted to address is public safety and police accountability. Prior to her role with the council, she worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) promoting legislation centered around public safety reform. “The work I did for the past two years was pushing for accountability bills which would include things like no-knock warrants,” she said. No-knock warrants have been controversial because of their likelihood to mistake innocent people for those sought by law enforcement. One such case is that of Amir Locke, a Black man who was fatally shot in a downtown Minneapolis apartment when officers tried to arrest a homicide suspect. “I am someone who understands and fully comprehends that community safety is number one,” Mohamed said. “But good policing needs accountability.” The legislation that Mohamed advocated for did not pass in a divided Minnesota House and Republican-majority Senate, but it was through this advocacy work that she met civil rights attorney and Minneapolis resident Nekima Levy Armstrong.
Zaynab Mohamed is running to represent District 63 in the Minnesota Senate. Minnesota has yet to elect a Black woman to its state Senate with Mohamed one of two Black women running to change that in November 2022. She has been endorsed by every elected member in her district. Photo: Courtesy of Zaynab Mohamed Campaign
“Zaynab is amazing,” Levy Armstrong said. “She is a phenomenal leader, a woman who leads with integrity, and a very strong organizer and a serious advocate for justice. I’m just so happy that she’s running.” Pastor and racial justice advocate Nathan Roberts said he supports Mohamed because of her constant dedication to serving the community. Early last year, the two worked together and organized a town hall in Columbia Heights, a suburb of Minneapolis, after the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-yearold Black man a Brooklyn Center police officer killed during a traffic stop on April 11, 2021.
“She shows up for people in the community in ways that, when the community’s hurting she is out meeting with people, talking to people,” Roberts said. Mohamed said she is dedicated to advocacy and positive change in the community and she wants to encourage civic engagement and voting regardless of the election outcome. “I think the one thing that we have in this country is our vote,” she said. “Whether you elect me or not, I will continue being a member of this community and leading on the issues that we care about.”
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Brooklyn Park’s mayoral elections set for possible rematch of 2021 contest won by 2 votes By Panashe Matemba-Mutasa Mshale In the last elections, Hollies Winston came so close to becoming the mayor of Brooklyn Park. This year, he says he is determined to make sure that when the votes are counted, he will be the occupant of the city’s top seat. “I am running because we need someone who will make sure our diversity is represented and reflected in decision making,” Winston said. “The people of Brooklyn Park deserve to have their needs met and voices heard.” Winston was speaking at Oro Lounge Bar and Restaurant in the suburban Minneapolis city, where his supporters gathered recently to raise funds for his campaign. Incumbent Mayor Lisa Jacobson, who defeated him by only two votes in a hotly contested fight in 2021, has not announced whether she will be seeking reelection. This time around, Winston said he’s confident. Brooklyn Park is a minority-majority city, and is one of the most diverse
Hollies Winston, right, with wife Latrice after announcing to supporters on Sunday, March 6 2022 that he will be running for Mayor of Brooklyn Park in the November 2022 general election. He lost to incumbent Mayor Lisa Jacobson by two votes in last year’s special election. Photo: Panashe Matemba-Mutasa/Mshale
cities in Minnesota, second only to neighboring Brooklyn Center. About 55% of its residents are people of color, according to 2020 U.S. Census data. People who identify themselves as Black or African American account for 29.1% of the population, making them the single largest minority
group. However, that diversity is not reflected in the city’s government and institutions. If elected, Winston, who is African American, would be the first Black mayor in the city’s history. “We need a leader that will promote unity, so that we may become one
family moving toward prosperity,” Winston said. Winston also said that Brooklyn Park is home to some of the hardest working people he has ever met, and Winston on Pg. 8
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Winston from Pg. 7
he expressed appreciation for how the residents have bettered their own community. “We have our East African community that’s been building businesses, our West African community that’s shown determination, and our African American community that has historically pushed for equity in various institutions,” he said. Kristy Janigo, who is also a candidate for the 2022 Maple Grove City Council, said that Winston represents the change that is needed regionally. She talked about historic election trends that have been taking place in suburbs like Brooklyn Park and why Winston would be the ideal flagbearer. “Hollies has been and will be that voice,” Janigo said. “I’ve seen his commitment firsthand. He shows up and supports the diversity, equity and inclusion grassroots events we hold in Maple Grove.” Janigo said that most suburban areas lack progressive, forward-thinking leaders that celebrate diversity and bring people together. A “voice for all people” is needed, even in ethnically rich places such as Brooklyn Park. Xiongpao “Xp” Lee, the policy and special programs manager for the Minnesota Council on Foundations
Supporters of Hollies Winston at Oro Lounge Bar and Restaurant in Brooklyn Park after he announced that he will be running for Mayor of Brooklyn Park in the November 2022 general election. He lost to incumbent Mayor Lisa Jacobson by two votes in last year’s special election. Photo: Panashe Matemba-Mutasa/Mshale
and who recently joined the Brooklyn Park City Council, said that he supports Winston because of his commitment to equity and inclusion. He also emphasized the importance of supporting good candidates. “It’s so important that we put our money where our mouth is,” Lee said. “We need to donate and go door knocking. Our voices matter and it’s up to us to put leaders in office who will give us the change that we need.” Isaac Russell, the director of public
policy at the Center for Economic Inclusion, spoke about his relationship with Winston. The two met at a Senate District meeting. Winston approached Russell to be a part of the African American DFL Caucus. He said that his experience working alongside Winston opened his eyes to the born leader that he is. Russel described Winston as effective, intelligent, and community oriented. He believes that these are qualities necessary to produce substantive differences.
“Hollies is truly dedicated to community service,” Russell said. “He’s not in this for the status. His desire to better the livelihoods of the people of this city permeates everything that he does,” Russel said. Hollies Winston previously served as a commissioner on the Brooklyn Park Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). He has lived in Brooklyn Park for 10 years.
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Religion
Black Muslim life honored in new online portrait exhibit By Kathryn Post Religion News Service A new online exhibit featuring portraits of Black Muslims was launched by Sapelo Square, a Black Muslim education and media collective, on Feb. 2. Captured in dramatic lighting and paired with audio clips of the subjects speaking, the portraits aim to highlight the beauty and diversity within the Black Muslim experience. “It’s really important that we hear the voices and see those who come from this strong and important lineage that doesn’t seem to be acknowledged and is often misunderstood,” said Aïdah Aliyah Rasheed, special projects lead at Sapelo Square. The project, titled “Preserving the Legacy: Portraits and Stories Capturing Black Muslim Life,” began as a conversation between Sapelo Square and New York-based photographer duo Rog & Bee Walker in 2016. Since then, Rog & Bee have photographed more than 200 portraits of Black Muslims with diverse occupations, ages, geographical locations and spiritual approaches to Islam. This first iteration of the project will feature roughly
50 portraits that are being released weekly on the Preserving the Legacy website at www.preservinglegacy. online/. Rasheed, who oversaw “Preserving the Legacy,” noted some of the participants have passed away since their portraits were captured, which she said makes the stories documented even more precious. Most participants were also interviewed, and that audio allows viewers to “really listen to the voices coming from the Black Muslim community,” Rasheed told Religion News Service. Sapelo Square was founded by Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer in May 2015. The volunteer-run organization issues podcasts, publications and other projects on topics ranging from anti-Black racism in Muslim communities to hiphop and Black midwifery. Their name honors a group of African Muslims who were enslaved on Sapelo Island off Georgia’s coast in the early 1800s. The “Preserving the Legacy” project and other initiatives of Sapelo Square intend to center stories of Black Muslims that are often erased from American discourse. Abdul Khabeer told Religion News Service that Black Mus-
Dr. Marcus Lambert and Sons. Image by Rog & Bee Walker, Paper Monday
lims can be overlooked when it comes to conversations about the “first Muslim” to do something in the U.S. She pointed to Mona Haydar, a Syrian hijabi rapper whose debut made a splash in 2017. “Hip-hop history is Black Muslim history,” said Abdul Kha-
Black and Muslim is a “unique and beautiful experience” that can generate creativity when it comes to cuisine, fashion, art and other cultural expressions. At Sapelo Square, founder Abdul
Azizah Ali-Regan. Image by Rog & Bee Walker, Paper Monday
beer, who said that many Black hijabi women, such as Miss Undastood, preceeded Haydar without the notoriety. Donna Auston, a cultural anthropologist who studies Islam in America, among other things, noted Black Muslims are often missing from education about slavery or American history and media more generally. “It’s easy for the experiences of people who exist at this nexus to get lost,” said Auston. Where conversations do include Black Muslims like Malcolm X or Muhammad Ali, Auston said, their Muslim faith is often flattened or stereotyped. However, Auston added that being
Khabeer hopes their offerings ultimately celebrate Black Muslim life. “While the marginalization or the erasure of Black Muslims from the mainstream narrative is something our work seeks to challenge, our work begins from a place of self-love,” said Abdul Khabeer. “(Sapelo Square) creates this virtual space that bleeds into real life, where Black Muslims see themselves … In order to challenge what seems like really intractable inequality that we face in this country, I think it begins in many ways with the people who are most affected knowing that they have their own power.”
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March 14-20, 2022 Issue 513
Art & Entertainment
Why the world’s second-largest record label is bullish on African music By Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe Ventures With over 3000 tribes across 54 countries, Africa’s cultural diversity gives its music industry a rich blend of melodies to sell to the world. The Afrobeat, Congolese zouk, and South African Kwaito genres, to mention a few, have drawn massive attention to the continent’s entertainment scene over the years. And recently, Warner Music Group (WMG), the secondlargest record label, bought a majority stake in Africori. Africori is a prominent African digital music distribution, music rights management, and artist development company. According to a media release by WMG, Warner’s move to buy Africori could make it the top music distributor in Africa. On the other hand, it will open up more opportunities for African artists to penetrate the global market. Importantly, Warner is not new to the African market. It first invested in Africori in early 2020. The original deal gave WMG access to what it calls “Africa’s largest catalogue and A&R network” and enabled WMG to establish a presence in many African markets for the first time. In the same year, WMG’s publishing division,
Warner Chappell Music, inked a global deal with Africori. WMG also tied partnerships and deals with Chocolate City, Diamond Platnumz and his label WCB-Wasafi, Coleske and Ziiki Media. An increasing global appetite for African music Africa’s music industry is on the rise, boosted by a youthful population and a plethora of talents. Its expanding internet economy is also igniting competition among local streaming services such as uduX and Boomplay. On a global scale, platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Shazam and social media platforms such as TikTok and Twitter are fast-tracking the industry’s growth. As a result, WMG, Sony Music, and Universal Music Group— music’s Big Three— are signing African artists, hiring employees for their African operations, and signing deals with local labels and streaming companies. In 2018, Universal acquired a majority stake in Kenya’s AI records, giving the global record label access to one of the largest catalogues of East African music. According to the most recent Global
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Music Report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which featured Africa and the Middle East as regions for the first time, recorded music revenues grew in every world region last year, including Africa and the Middle East. This data only accounted for 2020, and gains are poised to grow in these regions in 2021, as many African artists broke streaming records in the said time. “K-Pop continues to make great strides, of course, but I would argue the most exciting development this year has been how African music and African artists have been embraced by fans worldwide,” Simon Robson of Warner Music Group said in the report, citing global megahit ‘Jerusalema’ by South Africa’s Master KG and Nomcebo as an example. (The label purchased the rights to Master KG’s Jerusalema album after its release.) Policy hiccups The potential and opportunities in the continent’s music scene are evident. However, weak copyright laws and poor enforcement remain challenges. Anyone who wants to purchase music in cities like Accra or Lagos can simply head to the market
and find young men with laptops who will stock up customers’ USB sticks or cellphones with music or even movies. This long-standing practice has slowed down the monetization of music in the continent and deprived African artists of revenue from licensing their music and giving their performance and branding rights. Importantly, the problem of copyright infringement is not limited to Africa. A global survey by the IFPI says that almost one in three (29 per cent) of respondents admitted to using
Warner Headquartrs.
Photo: Shutterstock
illegal or unlicensed methods to listen to or download music, with stream ripping being the most prevalent form of online copyright infringement. But since music streaming is becoming more popular in Africa, it will become easier to use technology to curb this problem. Streaming platforms generally have copyright policies to protect artists from losing their revenue.
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Unite to Fuel Change We live in a world where divisions and poverty affect everyone but when we unite as changemakers we can create a community where all people thrive.
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March 14-20, 2022 Issue 513
A Better Community
The solution to housing discrimination starts with you. If you have been trying to buy or rent a house or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, contact HUD or your local fair housing center. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, familial status or disability.
Fair Housing Is Your Right. Use It. Visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing or call the HUD Hotline 1-800-669-9777 (English/Español) 1-800-927-9275 (TTY)
SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFO A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing.