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Damola Durosomo
Feb. 02, 2018 04:40PM EST

Black Men Are Owning Their Narratives With #BlackMenSmiling and It's Everything

The black joy is palpable.

Black men across social media are challenging trite notions on black masculinity by sharing pictures of themselves flashing their pearly whites using the hashtag #BlackMenSmiling.

Following in the footsteps of the #BlackBoyJoy movement, #BlackMenSmiling is all about reclaiming the narrative, and we're absolutely here for it. Like seriously, can this trend everyday?

The happiness is palpable and it's a delight to see these joyous photos flood our timelines. Check some out below.




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Photo by Xaume Olleros/Getty Images.

Malian Government Claims Anti-Trump Tweets Were a 'Handling Error'

A former Malian government official allegedly used President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's official Twitter account to describe Trump's recent drone strike on Iraq as a "fuck up".

This past Monday, a number of tweets which referred to President Donald Trump's recent drone strike on Iraq as a "fuck up", were sent from Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's official Twitter account.

According to News24, the Malian government now claims that the since-deleted tweet was a a result of a "handling error" after a former government official mistook the Twitter account as his own personal one.

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Andrew Aitchison/Getty Images

South Africans are Reacting to the Constitutional Court's Ruling on Spanking

Not everyone is happy that spanking is now unconstitutional.

Yesterday, South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that the spanking of children is now unconstitutional. The ruling upheld a previous ruling by the High Court back in 2017, that criminalized spanking after a father beat his 13-year-old son "in a manner that exceeded the bounds of reasonable chastisement". Parents or guardians can no longer use the common law defense of "reasonable chastisement" should they be charged with assault for spanking their children. While many South Africans as well as children's rights activists and organizations have welcomed the ruling, others have rubbished it entirely.

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Shirazee. Photo: Tiara Marei. Courtesy of the artist.

Get Into Shirazee & Saint Jhn's Highly-Addictive 'Juju'

The new music video follows Shirazee and Saint Jhn to New Orleans.

Shirazee is back with his latest single "Juju."

The new song sees the Benin-born singer-songwriter linking up with none-other-than Saint Jhn for a highly-addictive tune built on afro-fusion beat work. The striking new music video for "Juju," which was directed by Tiara Marei, follows Shirazee and Saint Jhn to New Orleans, Louisiana.

"This one is special to me 'cause the song was recorded at a time I needed to break a love-spell that I felt was put on me by a serious crush of mine [laughs]," Shirazee tells OkayAfrica. "Shooting this video in New Orleans, a city with historical ties to my Benin, was such a privilege and does so much justice to the song and theme.

"[I'm] looking forward to releasing new music this year and the first of two EPs called LOST is on the way and it's exciting," he adds.

For more on him, revisit our interview with Shirazee on his journey, taking risks and going independent. As you remember, Saint Jhn featured on Beyoncé and Wizkid's "Brown Skin Girl," one of our favorite songs last year.

Get into Shirazee and Saint Jhn's "Juju" below.

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'Namaste Wahala' movie poster.

'Namaste Wahala' Is the Nollywood Meets Bollywood Crossover We've All Been Waiting For

The Nigerian-Indian wedding romcom of our dreams is coming our way this April!

It's no secret that Nigerians and Indians have one major thing in common: over the top weddings. The two cultures are basically neck-in-neck when it comes to beautiful, extravagant (emphasis on the 'extra') weddings, which is why many of us have often fantasized about attending a joint Nigerian-Indian wedding. The good news is that an upcoming romantic comedy, starring some of Nollywood and Bollywood's best, is here to indulge us.

Namaste Wahala is the film debut of Indian businesswoman turned filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja. She released the first poster for the movie on Tuesday, showing a young couple in elaborate wedding regalia, and it's been met with humor and excitement from people online.

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