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Homecoming is always a big deal for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and being one of the largest and most prestigious HBCUs in the country, Texas Southern University, lived this culture to the fullest as present students and alumni met, partied and united on the grounds of the university located in Houston’s Downtown. Below are some pictures….
The 2nd Nigerian Day held in Houston, TX, on Nigeria’s Independence Weekend. Sponsored by Rebtel, Hope for Us and Glazed Donuts, a 1000 scholarship was presented to a middle school student who created a project about Nigerian history, which was presented at the Nigerian Day on Sunday.
There was food, giveaways, fashion, dances, musical performances, and various vendors who showcased and sold goods and services representing Nigeria’s diverse culture. Below are some pictures from the event…
The 2nd Annual Nigeria Cultural Parade and Arts Festival held September 29th at 1510 Polk near the Toyota Center, Houston TX.
It was sponsored by Rebtel and Wazobia African Market and showcased colorful presentations filled with history, traditions and culture.
Among the participants were His Royal Highness Eze and UgoEze Obichuku, the High Chief Priest Prince Baba Awo Adeyemi Ogunde, Olympian Seun Adigun, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Umu Igbo Unite Houston, Greater Owerri Community and groups representing various tribes and associations from Nigeria.
It also featured the Jack Yates High School Marching Motion Band and Booker T. Washington High School Band among others.
Konnexted Africans, a group dedicated to providing a platform for like-minded Africans, Caribbeans and people of the African diaspora to network, interact and participate in dialogue, events and trips recently celebrated the 1st anniversary in Houston, Tx. Below are pictures from the event…
BY CHILEE AGUNANNA, TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Saturday, March 17, was arguably my finest hour since arriving the United States a little less than two years ago. I was awarded the “Best Student Overall” at the 26th National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Multimedia Short Course at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). I was also awarded “Best Photography (Online)”. I didn’t expect any of those, but I’m very grateful to receive them.
The greatest reward to me is the people I met, both students and faculty.
The beginning of the program started off on the wrong foot. I landed at Charlotte instead of Greensboro (about 2 hours away) and Ms. Bowman had to send someone to pick me up. I felt like I was already becoming a problem candidate from the start, but everyone became my friend from that point.
I guess I was the last of the 30 Short Course students to arrive because I was taken straight to N.C. A&T campus with my luggage and I had to immediately joined my colleagues and the mentors in the classroom.
From then on and over the course of the four-day program, I was amongst some of the most talented, kindest, nicest and merriest bunch of young black people the United States could offer. I could swear that not a word of anger or antagonism was exchanged throughout our stay. Everyone looked out for the other, had fun, worked together and the quality of our final projects can attest to this fact.
We were invited to a GroupMe chat formed by Natalie before arriving NC. The chat is still alive even after we have left.We will continue to follow, support, mentor, guide and guard each other for as long as possible. We are family.
Our faculty, made up of some of the best black minds in the business, is also in on this excellence and our gratitude to their teaching, mentoring, guidance and criticism will remain for the rest of our lives.
GOOGLE MAP OF #NABJNCAT18 STUDENTS
It wasn’t a competition so the prizes we won don’t mean much because any of us would have been deserving of any of them and we would have all been equally proud of them.
When some of us were scolded for not passing the quiz well enough, we all felt it and when we won prizes and awards, we savoured the moments together. That’s what a family does.
On behalf of the Class of 2019, we pray you to make the program last at least a week and make Saturday a free day for games, bonding, a picnic, or any activity that would enhance more familiarization among everyone and then Sunday could be departure.
On a personal note, I have come a long way from home, literally and figuratively. I joined NABJ exactly one year ago and I have felt nothing but love since then. They were there for me when I was displaced by Hurricane Harvey and now, this. Experiences like this validate my journey and the decision I made to leave my country in search of the American Dream and I will forever be grateful to NABJ for providing me a family away from home.
My classmates and I are very grateful to everyone that took care of us. From Prof. Wiggins to Mr. Wilson to Mr. Williams and everyone that took time off work to work on us, we say thank you and promise to put our training to good use.
Everyone of us is grateful:
Over the weekend of October 13-15, 2017, one of America’s most prestigious Historically Black Universities (HBU), Texas Southern University, held it’s Homecoming 2017. The event which attracted alumni from all over the world and current students of the university held at the university’s ground in Houston Texas. Below are some pictures from some of the events…
The Royal African Women International Club (RAWIC) recently held its inauguration/induction ceremony in Houston, Texas. The club which consists of professional African women based in Houston was formed in November 2011 by Princess Bertha Kemakolam and Princess Catherine Tebebi and grew over the years to 22 members.
The president, Princess Kemakolam in her inaugural address said the goal of the club was to get some like-minded, well-mannered and family oriented women of dignity together.
She said the club aims to to educate and redirect their children to know themselves and the African culture and values. Below are some pictures from the event:
By Chilee Agunanna
At the risk of sounding vulgar, I wish to apply this Igbo proverb here: “Kinsmen are like the hairs around the anus, they can neither be shaved nor pulled.” The Igbos fighting for Biafra are like those hairs, they are going about it the wrong way for now and dying unnecessarily, but they are our kinsmen and we cannot disown them, rather we can tell them not to die in vain like they are doing, because they are not doing anyone any good.
At the right time and in due course, their style of the struggle will be needed but it is not at this moment. We also say in Igboland that, “In a wealthy man’s house, all kinds of characters abound—the strong, the weak, the loud, the meek, the violent and the peaceful, the honest and the thieves….” So whichever way you want to fight for Biafra, your skills will be needed, it’s just for you to await the right time and place.
At the moment, if you want to use violence in the struggle, follow the example of Apostle Johnson Suleiman, preach it, shout it, threaten it, but never go outside in the name of any demonstration because you will only be canon fodder for trigger happy soldiers and policemen ordered to kill you and no matter how unfair, unjust and unlawful your death is, you can never resurrect. You do not have two lives where you can use one to fight and die for the struggle and use the other to live and enjoy Biafra when it comes. You only have one and we need you to be alive whenever Biafra is achieved.
There is always a time to defend and attack and now is the time for defence. Let us first defend ourselves from the Fulani Herdsmen rampaging about and killing our people instead of wasting our lives in demonstrations shouting for Biafra. It is better to die while defending yourself than to place yourself in the path of unnecessary danger through demonstrations.
You should even worry about the quality of the people that kill you. A comedian once joked that he would prefer to be jammed by someone driving a Hummer Jeep than one driving a Keke. It is people you have labeled animals that are killing you and you are answering a messiah or sacrifice. Messiah for who? Sacrifice for what? What do you gain from that?
Biafra does not need that type of sacrifice at the moment; if you have to die, you have to die honourably and your death has to count towards something and statistics have to at least capture you. These days we hardly know the correct figure of people that are killed, the numbers are usually disputed and coupled with that the soldiers and police usually deny killing anyone, so why die when no one will admit to killing you and your number won’t even be reflected in the data?
We need everyone alive for the struggle. If you see they are shooting people, run away because he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. Don’t die struggle now, we need people to live for the struggle. That is the current situation.
The way to the new Biafra is through self and nation building. Develop yourself and get ready to play a part, develop your land and your people, train them, help them and give them good governance if you are in a position of power.
In fact we already have Biafra but we do not realize it; we do not cherish it; we betray it; we steal from it; we cheat on it; we kill it.
The East is already Biafra but we do not nurture it because of the selfish and stealing leaders we have in Igboland. How can we realize Biafra when a governor uses the people’s money to erect Christmas Trees while slashing the salaries of workers and pensioners and still not paying them the rest? How can we realize Biafra when a governor has turned the state government to his own family’s business and we do nothing about it? How can we realize Biafra when a governor instead of paying his people decides to deceive them with a fake and non-existent airline?
Or do we talk about Biafra in Enugu State, the original capital of Biafra where Ugwuanyi ran to Abuja to laugh and pose for pictures with Buhari when his people had been massacred? How can we have Biafra when after the massacre, Ugwuanyi welcomes the Sultan of Sokoto with fanfare and praise instead of expressing anger and threatening retaliation for the death of his people just like El Rufai threatened that the Fulanis would in this 2012 tweet: “We write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.”
Where is this where instead of patronizing Innoson Motors who is right there with us, they are still buying Toyota and BMW cars? Where is this Biafra my people?
We cannot have Biafra until we develop Igboland and make it Biafra. Nothing is holding us from making sure the leaders of Igboland lead honestly and accountably.
What we need to do now is to strategize and elect humane leaders for Igboland who can develop our land; people who will not eat our collective share of the “National Cake” alone, only then we can take a step forward and say we are Biafra before demanding for Biafra from anybody we accuse of holding it.
Note: While writing this article, I also saw one by the Areafada, Charly Boy, titled: “Let us pause on the fantasy tagged Biafra for now” which expressed most of the same sentiments in my piece in a better way.
Chilee Agunanna is a Nigerian journalist and you can reach him on Social Media @ChileeChills.
