68th birthday of Pete Edochie

(Born 7 March 1947, Enuugwu, Igboland)

Eloquent and iconic news presenter on Biafran resistance radio broadcasting corporation during the Igbo genocide, 29 May 1966-12 January 1970, and versatile actor whose play of the Okonkwo character in a 1987 television adaptation of the classic Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) remains critically acclaimed

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

55th anniversary of Sharpeville Massacre

(Massacre occurs 21 March 1960, Sharpeville, South Africa)

Three hundred and eight years into the conquest and occupation of South Africa by a constellation of European World powers, the occupation police opens fire on a freedom march of 5000-10000 Africans in Sharpeville, murdering 69 marchers (children, women, men) and wounding nearly 200 others – a turning point in the African resistance which is consequently revamped, expanded, and intensified until liberation 34 years later

(Chris McGregor and Brotherhood of Breadth, “Davashe’s dream” [personnel: McGregor, piano, African xylophone; Mongezi Feza, pocket trumpet; Harry Beckett, trumpet; Mark Chaig, cornet; Nick Evans, trombone; Malcolm Griffiths, trombone; Dudu Pukwana, alto saxophone; Mike Osborne, alto saxophone, clarinet; John Surman, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone; Ronnie Beer, tenor saxophone, Indian flute; Alan Skidmore, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Harry Miller, bass; Louis Moholo, drums, percussion; recorded: UK Neon Label, London, 1971]) (alto saxophone and trumpet solos: Dudu Pukwana and Mongezi Feza respectively) 

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

The Journal of West African History, Vol 1, Issue 1, March 2015

Volume 1, Issue 1, now available!

http://msupress.org/journals/issue/?id=50-21D-5EA

The Journal of West African History (JWAH) is a new interdisciplinary peer-reviewed research journal that will publish the highest quality articles on West African history. Located at the cutting edge of new scholarship on the social, cultural, economic, and political history of West Africa, JWAH will fill a representational gap by providing a forum for serious scholarship and debate on women and gender, sexuality, slavery, oral history, popular and public culture, and religion. The editorial board encourages authors to explore a wide range of topical, theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives in new and exciting ways. The journal is committed to rigorous thinking and analysis; is international in scope; and offers a critical intervention about knowledge production. Scholarly reviews of current books in the field will appear in every issue. And the publication will be in both English and French; an abstract in both languages will be provided. Michigan State University Press publishes JWAH in collaboration with the MSU African Studies Center and the History Department.

The debut issue of JWAH appeared in March 2015. To this end, the editorial board invites scholars to submit original article-length manuscripts (not exceeding 10,000 words including endnotes, 35 pages in length) accompanied by an abstract that summarizes the argument and significance of the work (not exceeding 150 words). These articles will be considered alongside submissions from senior scholars such as Trevor Getz, David Robinson, Jan Jansen, Jonathan Reynolds, Michel Doortmont, Simon Ottenberg, Elisha Renne, Ralph Austen, Douglas Chambers, Merrick Posnansky, Moses Ochonu and Sabine Jell-Bahlsen, to name but a few. Review essays (not exceeding 1,000 words) should engage the interpretation, meaning, or importance of an author’s argument for a wider scholarly audience. Please contact our book review editor a thodamtten@scu.edu for more information.

Announcing New Journal—FRENCH

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

58th anniversary of Spike Lee

(Born 20 March 1957, Atlanta, US)

One of the most prolific and distinguished film directors of his generation (releasing over 30 movies in a career begun 1983, including the classic Malcolm X [1992]), actor, producer, writer, academic

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe on “Does Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God (1964) anticipate the Igbo genocide (29 May 1966-12 January1970)?”***

***Paper presented at the Arrow of God at 50 Symposium, Centre for African Studies/Igbo Conference, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (symposium conveners: Dr Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr and Dr Louisa Uchum Egbunike), Saturday 4 October 2014

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

188th anniversary of the founding of Freedom’s Journal

(First published 16 March 1827, New York, US)

First African American-owned and edited newspaper is founded by Rev Peter Williams and a group of influential African Americans in New York, and aptly named Freedom’s Journal

(Jackie McLean Quartet, “Melody for Melonae” [personnel: McLean, alto saxophone; Walter Davis, Jr., piano; Herbie Lewis, bass; Billy Higgins, drums; recorded: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, US, 19 March 1962])

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe

82nd birthday of Quincy Jones

(Born 14 March 1933, Chicago, US)

Multifaceted talent – celebrated record and film producer, conductor, arranger, multiinstrumentalist, publisher

Twitter @HerbertEkweEkwe