Beautiful hair styles for Black females

Black women with a variety of hairstyles

Queen Nanny an Ashanti heroine for Ghana and Jamaica

Queen Nanny and her brother Captain Cudjoe blazed a freedom trail in Jamaica

Not unlike Ghana's matriarch / queen mother Yaa Asantewaa, who led a siege that starved the British soldiers, Queen nanny was an Ashanti matron who laid a foundation of pride and honour in Jamaica.


Queen nanny, leader of the Maroons

The Maroons were defiant Jamaican slaves who fled their oppressive existence on plantations and formed their own communities in the rugged, hilly interior of the island. They were considered skilled fighters and hard to defeat. Under Spanish rule, up to the 1650s, slaves escaped and intermarried with the native islanders, Arawaks, in their communities. Later, when the British assumed control of the colony, more slaves were able to escape from plantations to join the two main bands of Maroons in Jamaica: Leeward and Windward Maroons, headed respectively by Nanny of the Maroons and Captain Cudjoe.

The Maroons mainly consisted of people from the Akan region of West Africa. The Ashante tribe, from which Nanny came, lived in this region. However, slaves originating from other regions of West Africa joined the Maroons in their escapes. For over 150 years, the Maroons helped to free slaves from the plantations whilst they damaged land and property belonging to the plantation owners.

Nanny was born c. 1686 in Ghana, Western Africa, into the Ashanti tribe, and was brought to Jamaica as a slave.[citation needed] It is believed that some of her family members were involved in intertribal conflict and her village was captured. Nanny and several relatives were sold as slaves and sent to Jamaica. Upon arrival in Jamaica, Nanny was likely sold to a plantation in Saint Thomas Parish, just outside of the Port Royal area. Such plantations grew sugarcane as the main crop, and the slaves toiled under extremely harsh conditions.

As a child, Nanny was influenced by other slave leaders and maroons. She and her brothers, Accompong, Cudjoe, Johnny and Quao ran away from their plantation and hid in the Blue Mountains area of northern Saint Thomas Parish. While in hiding, they split up to organize more Maroon communities across Jamaica: Cudjoe went to Saint James Parish and organized a village, which was later named Cudjoe Town; Accompong settled in Saint Elizabeth Parish, in a community known as Accompong Town; Nanny and Quao founded communities in Portland Parish. She was married to a Maroon named Adou, but had no children.

Nanny and her brothers became folk heroes. The most famous of her brothers, Cudjoe, went on to lead several slave rebellions in Jamaica with the aid of her other brothers.

By 1720, Nanny and Quao had settled and controlled an area in the Blue Mountains. It was given the name Nanny Town, and consisted of the 500 acres (2.4 km²) of land granted to the runaway slaves. Nanny Town had a strategic location as it overlooked Stony River via a 900 foot (270 m) ridge making a surprise attack by the British practically impossible. The Maroons at Nanny Town also organized look-outs for such an attack as well as designated warriors who could be summoned by the sound of a horn called an Abeng.

Maroons at Nanny Town and similar communities survived by sending traders to the nearby market towns to exchange food for weapons and cloth. The community raised animals, hunted, and grew crops, and was organized very much like a typical Ashanti tribe in Africa. The Maroons were also known for raiding plantations for weapons and food, burning the plantations, and leading slaves back to their communities.
Nanny was very adept at organizing plans to free slaves. For over 30 years, Nanny freed more than 800 slaves,[2] and helped them to resettle in the Maroon community.



Captain Cudjoe, super-hero of the Caribbean

Cudjoe, also known as Captain Cudjoe, was a Maroon leader in Jamaica, and the brother of Nanny of the Maroons. He has been described as "the greatest of the Maroon leaders."[1] In the discussion of important and outstanding leaders in history, one must include Captain Cudjoe. He refused enslavement and freed thousands of captives.
The Jamaican Maroons are descended from runaway slaves who established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica during the long era of slavery in the island. African slaves imported during the Spanish period may have provided the first runaways, apparently mixing with the Native American Taino or Arawak people that remained in the country. Some may have gained liberty when the English attacked Jamaica and took it in 1655, and subsequently. For about 52 years, until the 1737 peace treaty with the British rulers of the island - which is still in force - the Maroons stubbornly resisted conquest.

The two main Maroon groups in the 18th century were the Leeward and the Windward tribes, the former led by Cudjoe in Trelawny Town and the latter led by his sister Queen Nanny (and later by Quao). Captain Cudjoe had endless energy and was greatly motivated to stay a free man. He was strong, courageous and relentless. Cudjoe was also a very skillful, tactical field commander and a remarkable leader.
When the British attempted to recapture the runaways, Cudjoe defeated them on every occasion. Not only did Cudjoe successfully defend his communities, but also, similar to what Harriet Tubman would do in the nineteenth century, he freed many captives by raiding Britain’s plantations. Sometimes his raids were non-confrontational, but most times they were vicious, bloody encounters.

Before he attacked a plantation, Cudjoe would send spies among the captives to gather information from them at the markets and on the plantations. Once his spies collected sufficient evidence of the slave-owners’ plans, they sent them to Cudjoe. Then he determined the time and place of his attacks. During his strikes, Cudjoe and his men burned down mansions, destroyed cane fields and killed many whites along with faithful slaves who refused to help him.

Cudjoe’s attacks were so devastating that many of the early English settlers abandoned their plantations and returned to England. He often killed faithful slaves during these attacks because he despised them. According to one of England’s commanders on the island, General Williamson, it was commonly said, “the British rules Jamaica by day and Captain Cudjoe by night.”

In an attempt to capture Cudjoe and the Maroons, British leaders built forts near Maroon communities. They imported Native American tracking specialists from Central America to hunt down the Maroons. In addition, they formed an army of more than 1,000 soldiers to fight Cudjoe’s weapon-deficient military.

However, even with the tracking specialists and formidable army, Cudjoe out-maneuvered the British commander when one of Cudjoe’s spies told the commander that Cudjoe established settlements in a particular valley. As the British soldiers marched into the valley, Cudjoe’s four-sectioned forces watched them from behind the natural boundaries. When Cudjoe’s men attacked the soldiers from all sides, the crossfire surprised and debilitated them. The British soldiers fled the area and left behind guns and supplies.

For the next decade, Cudjoe caused considerable damage to the slave structure of Jamaica. When he raided, he often burned sugar cane fields, houses and barns, and he continued to kill slaves who were loyal to their masters. This latter measure put a great deal of pressure on every African captive to abide by Cudjoe’s advances. Therefore, Cudjoe’s peer-pressure tactic led the British to distrust just about every captive on the island.

To finally stop Cudjoe, the British government planned an elaborate expedition against the Maroons. The British recruited every fighting-eligible man on the island to move against Cudjoe. However, after considering the fact that if all the men went to fight against the Maroons, there would be no one left to protect the women and children. The British had a serious dilemma and they did not know what to do.
Faced with a very disturbing problem, Governor Sir Edward Trelawney weighed the possibilities. Eventually, he decided not to attack Cudjoe. He, instead, opted to make a treaty of peace with the Maroons. To carry out Governor Trelawney’s orders, a rather large army escorted Colonel Guthrie to meet with Cudjoe in Maroon territory. Once he convinced Cudjoe and his men that he would neither attack nor trick them, Cudjoe met with the colonel.

After talking for an hour or so, both men worked out a satisfactory treaty. They agreed that the British must recognize the Maroons as an independent nation; that the Maroons receive a very large tract of land and would not have to pay any taxes on it. Maroon societies still exist in Jamaica today.

Antelope crashes cyclist in South African race

Have a look at this video, and be surprised at the fact it looks like the antelope took the cyclist down on purpose (more likely he was focused on something further in the distance):

Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winning “Tree Mother”, Passes at 71

Wangari Muta Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya.



In the 1970s, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights.




In 1984, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, and in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” Maathai was an elected member of Parliament and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005.




Wangari was an inspiration to many, and may her work strengthen and carry on through her many admirers and followers. Green Panthers everywhere, it is up to us!

Global factors spur war in Africa

International roots of African warfare

by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi, Chair and Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania; host, PBS’ 'History Detectives'

from HuffingtonPost.com

The International Side to War in Africa

I recently tried to explain to a friend why Africa had so much war from a combination of domestic and international pressures. The domestic African causes of war are obvious; however, it was difficult to explain the international roots, and these words are an attempt to show how these hidden roots in Africa are not simply artifacts of African incompetence.

If we recognized our common humanity, the continent of Africa would be the mother that keeps giving, overworked and underappreciated. Yet there are those who continue to marginalize this important continent in considering real motivations in international relations.

It is in Africa that humans first experienced life and civilization. During the eras of colonialism, the greatest world crisis occurred in Africa. This was true from the period of the Roman Empire to Great Britain, and from the defunct United Soviet Socialist Republics to the sole world power of today -- the United States of America with China close on its heels.


Berlin Conference divided continent in 1884

The 1880s were the heyday of European imperialism when Africa had only a few nation-states. During this period of colonial rule, African traditions of place and identity were greatly altered by the European colonial masters, and restructured along political lines drawn in Europe for the benefit of the colonial powers. It was at the Berlin Conference held in 1884 that the lands and riches of Africa were divided by and allocated to the Western colonial European states. Africans had no say in this new imperial world that left them servants of the world, and as usual for people in such a situation, Africans were left poor, hungry, unhealthy, and uneducated.




Despite all these interventions, the collective consciousness of Africa possesses hope and patience that proved significant in 1957 when the people of Ghana ignited an independence movement that spread throughout the continent. This movement declared a new African voice in the world, and so many nations had gained independence that the United Nations declared 1960 the Year of Africa.

It has been a long time since Ghana's historical movement, and today the average person in the US knows Africa more for famine in Somalia, genocidal acts in Rwanda, war in Libya, and the Arab Spring that took place largely in North Africa.

Some may read this and think, "Why should I care about what's going on in Africa?" It is not unusual for Africa to be dismissed as of little consequence, and forgotten.

It is worth remembering that African independence was frozen in the middle of the Cold War, with coup d'état after coup d'état in the struggle to choose sides (USSR or USA), while African leaders were hard pressed to represent the interest of the average African citizen in a context that demanded international allegiance.

The methods those in power used to confront the challenge they saw in African independence were despicable and fraudulent beyond calm expression. Political assassination, rape, torture, and genocide have marked the progress of Africa's integration into the New World Order. The only way the world has been able to justify this calamity is by changing the subject once the issue is clearly placed on the table. With the dirty deed done, politicians and the public shift their focus onto the next issue, and ignore the aftermath of these atrocities.

A few will remember the events in 1960 that found the newly elected Congolese prime minister, Patrice Lumumba, inviting the "neutral" United Nations to the Congo. The newly declassified documents show that Lumumba ended up being completely destroyed by the United Nations and its Western allies, especially the United States and Belgium. In continuation of this historical reality, we read of recent events in Cote d'Ivoire, where the United Nations and its Western allies, especially the French, have removed President Laurent Gbagbo from power.

Here, in the year 2011 the United Nations has authorized the use of military intervention in Cote d'Ivoire and Libya. In both cases, rebel efforts to make regime change were successfully supported with bullets and bombs by the United Nations and its Western allies.

It seems clear that in cases of political conflict the UN has become an instrument of the West. In simple terms, the UN tends to ignore the leadership of Africa in finding solutions to African problems. The African Union time and again has challenged the actions of the UN and NATO in Libya.

I do not want to suggest that Africa does not need the assistance from the UN or the West, nor is the continent about to collapse. But help needs to be more based on Africa's interest, rather than the strategic interest of the US or any other non-African entity.

Current U.S. foreign policy in Africa is a blueprint for disaster. The newly created U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) mission is to fight terrorism, and guide military intervention when U.S. interests are at stake. This current initiative is known as the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI). Strategic interest refers to Africa's vast natural and mineral resources. Some estimates suggest that African oil will account for as much as 25 percent of U.S. needs by 2015. So, it is not difficult to see why Libya is strategically important to the U.S.

The view of Africa as a pawn on a chessboard is possible when you have as much power as the U.S.; however, it is not a policy that will assist Africa in overcoming the legacy of colonialism, or to become more responsive to the needs of its own people. Even if we believe that the residual wealth from economic trade with the U.S. is a benefit in and of itself, the only way for Africa to advance beyond the legacy of mal-intervention is by representing the interest of Africans.

African societies that represent the interest of the people are the solution to the problems. The organization of these African states will be the pillar that would prevent the associated dislocation of the citizens and the disruptive impact of Africa's relationship with the world.

Perhaps we would benefit from considering the problems of Africa as resulting from the impact of being relegated to the sidelines of empire and the fights of the Cold War. The question is how long the legacy of these malformations is going to serve as obstacles to African democratic and economic progress. The real challenge is for the leading nations in the New World Order to help other nations develop liberty, justice and human rights.


Follow Dr. Tukufu Zuberi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TukufuZuberi

Miss Angola, Leila Lopes, WINS Miss Universe 2011!!!

2011 Miss Universe Pageant final results

Final results Contestant
Miss Universe 2011 - Angola – Leila Lopes


1st runner-up - Ukraine – Viviana Ortiz


2nd runner-up - Brazil – Priscila Machado


3rd runner-up - Philippines – Shamcey Supsup


4th runner-up - China – Zilin Luo


Top 10

Australia – Scherri-Lee Biggs
Costa Rica - Johanna Solano
France – Laury Thilleman
Portugal – Laura Gonçalves
Panama – Sheldry Sáez


Top 16

Kosovo – Afërdita Dreshaj
Colombia - Catalina Robayo
Puerto Rico – Viviana Ortiz
Netherlands – Kelly Weekers
USA – Alyssa Campanella
Venezuela – Vanessa Gonçalves








Way to go Leila; you have made a lot of people proud, and inspired young girls across Africa and around the world! Stay blessed.

Pen Do Not Fail Me

Pen do not fail me
Where are the words
That can heal an ocean
Cleanse the biosphere
Unite humanity

Pen do not rely on me
I am vulnerable
Time is racing
Venus is nearby
Calling humanikind

Pen this is it
Swords have grown toxic
Families are shattered
Lungs are aching
Crying for Truth
Liberation
Justice
Peace


Yuya Joe College
September 2011

Ghana's Black Stars focused on Swaziland matchup

From ModernGhana.com

They know what is at stake and I’m happy they are not taking it for granted.

- Plavi


Goran Stevanovic, the coach of Ghana’s senior male football team, the Black Stars says he is happy that his players are focused on their match against Swaziland, their opponents for Friday’s 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.

According to Coach Stevanovic the positive attitude from the players has cut out his job for him as he prepares the team for the qualifier before they leave for London to play Brazil in a mouth-watering international friendly on September 5.




“It is also a difficult task to psyche up the players to play a team they have already beaten 3-0 in the first leg. Thankfully, they know what is at stake and I’m happy they are not taking it for granted,” Stevanovic, nicknamed Plavi, told the Daily Graphic yesterday.

He was also happy with the work rate of the players, saying, from their attitude, ‘they remained focused on the Swaziland match and are not detracted by the international friendly against Brazil.”

“Playing Brazil is glamorous but the real deal is Friday’s game and that is what we are focusing on, getting all the three points,” he stressed.

Indeed, all his players agreed that they could not take Swaziland for granted despite the fact that the Swazis had nothing much at stake even if they won.

“We need the three points to consolidate our lead at the top while Swaziland know they can not qualify even if they win but definitely, they will try to be party spoilers but we will not allow them to ruin our celebration,” John Paintsil, said.

Almost all the players invited for the match have reported to camp and had their first training session last Monday. Yesterday, they held their first training under floodlights as Friday’s game will be played in the evening.

The players in camp include Richard Kingson and Ernest Sowah, both goalkeepers; Paintsil, Isaac Vorsah, Samuel Inkoom, Jonathan Mensah, Sulley Ali Muntari, Derek Boateng, Lee Addy and Daniel Opare.

Emmanuel Agyeman Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Anthony Annan, Rabiu Mohammed, Asamoah Gyan, Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah, debutant Albert Adomah and Nathaniel Asamoah all arrived last Monday while Rennes’ John Boye, who was called at 11th hour as substitute for injured captain John Mensah and goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey and the Ayew Brothers, Dede and Jordan, were expected last night.

African Mango - For Health and Weight-Loss

Mangoes from Africa boost health and vitality

From yahoo.com:

Goodbye, grapefruit diet. Hello, African mango?

Everyone’s looking for the magical weight-loss solution. Some claim they’ve found it in the African mango, the latest fruit fad to invade the weight-loss world. Its supplements have even been endorsed on The Dr. Oz show.

Dr. Tanya Edwards wrote on DoctorOz.com:

“Sounds like a magic bullet to me! I tried it myself, and lo and behold, in the first month of taking it (only once per day, mind you, instead of the recommended twice daily), I lost seven pounds without making any changes in my usual healthy diet and exercise routine!”

Africa’s “bush mango” boasts a special agent called IGOB131, a fat eliminator. Die-hard fans claim the fruit’s seeds contain a “’special fibre’ that binds to cholesterol and helps to eliminate unwanted fats from the body — thereby resulting in rapid weight loss.”

Some studies are backing up the weight-loss claims — and citing improved cholesterol and blood-sugar levels — but the researchers had “a vested interest in making the product,” making the results tough to take seriously.

Critics are rolling their eyes.

Fox News’ “medicine hunter” Chris Kilham points out fruit fibre and reduced cholesterol is a connection we’ve known about for ages. He would sooner recommend we enjoy healthy diets filled with a variety of vegetables and fruits — biting into succulent mangoes rather than popping extract supplements — than encourage us to give into the quick-fix promises of what he calls a “scam.”

Edwards, in a follow up to her “magic bullet” enthusiasm, conceded:

“The results have been slightly underwhelming. A few patients lost a few pounds, but it has not been the magic bullet I had hoped for. And with continued use, I have not lost any more weight.”

Fortunately, studies have shown no undesirable side effects.

Fibre is great for you. Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on supplements, head to your local fruit stand and buy a real mango or two.


Info on Mangoes in Africa and around the world

Beautiful Bikini Babes Photos

Pics of Hotties in Bikinis

Alrighty lads and lasses, I'm off for a 5-day vacay to beautiful Orillia, Ontario, to celebrate my Mom's birthday. Here are some lovely ladies in swimwear to enjoy while I am away!!!

Peace 2 All,

Yuya Joe

Ghana company wind coveted Ashden Environmental Award

In the middle of a daily struggle with rising food prices, difficult housing conditions and underemployment, citizens of Ghana can be very proud of Toyola and the equitable home stove technology the Ashden Environmental Awards have honoured.

From GhanaWeb.com:

Accra, June 17, GNA - The world's most prestigious green energy awards has selected an energy company from Ghana as the Gold Award winner of this year's Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.

Winners from Pakistan, India and Africa were also announced at a VIP ceremony in London addressed by Greg Barker, UK Government Minister for Climate Change.

A statement issued and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said the Prince of Wales, Patron of the Ashden Awards, who personally congratulated the international winners in a meeting, said: 93The Ashden Awards show what it is possible to do now in saving resources and cutting emissions.

"They remind us how, as individuals, we can make a huge difference to the world in which we live. In a nutshell, they remind us that acting locally is, in fact, acting globally."

The Ashden Awards showcase practical solutions to combat climate change and meet the energy needs of the poor, rewarding outstanding and innovative clean energy schemes across the developing world and in the United Kingdom.

Toyola Energy Limited, Ghana, was awarded the coveted Gold Award worth $340,000 in recognition of its success in making over 150,000 efficient charcoal stoves and marketing them to low-income families at very affordable prices.

Ms Sarah Butler-Sloss, Founder/Director of the Ashden Awards and Chair of the judging panel said: 93Toyola Energy Limited has taken a simple stove technology, adapted it to make it more robust and efficient and then focused it's efforts on making the stoves accessible to the poor so that they can save money and have cleaner, healthier environments to cook in.

"In the meantime Ghana's forests are protected and greenhouse emissions reduced. This is a perfect example of how much can be achieved through the use of simple, clean energy technologies and clever, pro-poor marketing strategies."

By cutting the use of charcoal by around a third, Toyola's stoves save trees, reduce carbon emissions and allow families to make considerable savings.

They are also easy to cook with and are far less smoky than the traditional charcoal stoves that can cause breathing difficulties and, often, severe eye irritation over time.

There is also 90 per cent less chance of accidental burns when using a Toyola stove as compared to traditional stoves.

By allowing the customers to buy the stoves on credit and use the money saved on charcoal to make repayments, Toyola ensures that the stoves are accessible to the poor.

"When I got the stove I was given this money box and every day I would put money in. When I eventually removed the money I had enough for the stove," Josephine Adjololo, a user said.

In a country where most urban households spend a significant proportion of their household income cooking on inefficient and polluting charcoal stoves, Toyola's success is significant.

Toyola's stoves are currently saving around 26,000 tonnes of charcoal a year, a tangible success given that charcoal comes largely from unsustainable sources.

The levels of CO2 reductions achieved - around 150,000 tonnes a year has attracted the attention of Goldman Sachs who now buys Toyola's carbon offsets and sells them on the global market.

Toyola has just opened a production centre in Togo and plans to open more centres in Benin and Sierra Leone in the next two years, stepping up sales to a further 140,000 stoves by 2013.

With facts on Ghana Energy, nearly three quarters of charcoal production in Ghana comes from unsustainable wood-charcoal, which contributes to deforestation.

Charcoal is used by approximately 1.3 million households or 31 per cent of families in Ghana.

In Accra, about 70 per cent of households use charcoal for cooking.

Ashden Environmental Awards 2011 International winners

MOST BEAUTIFUL Women On Earth; Photos, Videos, Links

Divine Ghana Actresses Models Singers Goddesses


Dayan Kodua



Billie-Richael Kwayie



Awai Amidu!



Bernice Thia

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Knockout Chinese Siren, Supermodel Ziyi Zhang






China's Hottest Supermodel, Ziyi Zhang




Take a peek at this wonderful video featuring gorgeous West African models and actresses, and enjoy some sultry hot poses of beautiful young African women, praise Jah!











Ten Top Superbabes: 10 Most Compelling Beautiful Women

Reon Kadena, Japanese model and actress

Tasmin Lucia Khan, BBC announcer

Honey Lee, former Miss Korea

Damaris Lewis, American supermodel

Jennifer Lopez - American Idol judge; Actress, Singer, Model

Rihanna, USA / Barbados pop singer and superstar

Krystle Awurama Simpson, Miss Universe Ghana 2010 / West African supermodel

Jessica White, USA hottie, actress and supermodel

Melat Yante, Miss Ethiopia 2009

Zhang Ziyi, gorgeous supermodel from China

Ten Top Superbabes: 10 Most Compelling Beautiful Women






Photos of Hot Babes at Toronto's Caribana Festival Parade





Photos of Beautiful Women at Toronto Caribana Parade




Website dedicated to Beautiful Black Women - www.BlackIsBeautiful.se




Hottest African Model; Ghana's Krystle Awurama Simpson



Beautiful West African Supermodel Krystle Awurama Simpson










Supermodel Damaris Lewis, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Babe





Superbabe Damaris Lewis, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model





Please enjoy some blog posts from the past year that may still pique curiosity in readers:

Images of African Goddesses, African Queens, African Princess

2010 Miss Universe Ghana – Krystle Awurama Simpson

Beautiful Women of Ghana, and from Ghana - Ghana Actresses Models Singers Goddesses

Mangoes in Africa - Nutitional Value of Mangoes

Twenty North African Women on One Hundred Most Powerful Arab Women list

Does Ghana have early warning systems for a potential tsunami?

Ghana has what North African revolutions are seeking; Free elections

Is Solar Power the solution for Ghana's economy?