popular
Antoinette Isama
Jun. 04, 2019 05:55PM EST
Images from collage via Twitter.

#BlackOutEid: Young Black Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Fitr In Their Flyest Outfits

Eid Mubarak! ✨

Eid Mubarak to our Muslim fam!

Today is Eid Al-Fitr—which marks the end of Ramadan. Since May 7, Muslims from around the world have taken the past holy month to fast, pray, reflect and be in community with each other.

Young black Muslims have taken to the internet to foster such community by using the hashtag #BlackOutEid for the past 4 years. Created by Aamina Mohamed in 2015, she launched the hashtag to push back against the erasure of black Muslims during times of celebration, which in turn highlights the diversity of the Muslim world.

"For me, #BlackoutEid has been a rare opportunity to engage with my faith without the burden of separating or mitigating my blackness," writer and creative Nena Beecham reflects for Al Jazeera. "Although my participation in #BlackoutEid was purely digital, it made up for the lack of healthy and supportive relationships I had faced in other communities. I felt connected to a larger black Muslim community that was invested in both my joy and the appreciation of my blackness."

It's great to see how much of an archival moment each iteration of #BlackOutEid brings. Black Muslims indeed exist—and not to mention—they're fly too.

Check out our favorite snapshots from #BlackOutEid below.

















#blackouteid #eidmubarak #eidalfitr2019 african diaspora black muslims
popular
Image courtesy of Riveriswild

#BuyBlack: The 8 Black-Owned Brands To Shop For On Black Friday

It's that time of year again, here is OkayAfrica's 2019 gift guide for you to #BuyBlack this Friday.

You know we're near the end of 2019 once the holiday season comes back around. Thanksgiving is upon us and the bargain shopping and gift-giving is set to commence thereafter. While this American "holiday" being questionable in of itself, Black Friday is a prime occasion to highlight, support and spend exclusively with black-owned businesses.

Just like we mentioned last year, let's keep the 'for us, by us' energy going. Even beyond the hustle and bustle of Black Friday, tap into the businesses that continue to contribute to wealth-building, development and employment in Black communities around the world.

Here is OkayAfrica's curated shortlist of black-owned brands to take note of this Black Friday, including some standout home decor, fashion, skincare and beauty brands you should know.

Take a look below.

Keep reading... Show less
popular
'Queen & Slim' soundtrack cover.

Burna Boy Samples Fela's 'Shakara' on New Track, 'My Money, My Baby' From 'Queen & Slim' Soundtrack

The film's official soundtrack also features tracks from Lauryn Hill, Blood Orange, Megan Thee Stallion and more.

The official soundtrack for Queen & Slim has arrived, and it features a standout solo track from none other than Burna Boy.

"My Money, My Baby" is a heavily Afrobeat-tinged track that features a prominent sample of Fela Kuti's 1972 song "Shakara." The pulsating track also sees the singer, channeling Fela's signature talk-style of singing and repetition. Check it out below.

Keep reading... Show less
News Brief
Photo by Seyllou/AFP via Getty Images

France Returns a 19th Century Sword Back to Senegal

The sword belonged to a Senegalese anti-colonial struggle fighter Omar Saidou Tall.

France has returned a 19th century sword back to Senegal. The sword belonged to Senegalese Islamic scholar and anti-colonial struggle fighter Omar Saidou Tall. The French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe recently handed over the sword to Senegal's President Macky Sall in a ceremony held in Dakar this past Sunday. The sword is now in the Museum of Black Civilizations of Dakar. The move comes after the Senegalese government's request for France to return more than 100 artifacts housed in French museums and France's President Emmanuel Macron subsequently commissioned a report entitled "The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics".

Keep reading... Show less
popular
Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images

South Africa's Iconic Group Bongo Maffin is Set to Release a New Album

It will be the group's first album in well over a decade.

Last year, the iconic South African kwaito group Bongo Maffin, reunited after several years. They then went on to release the single "Harare" much to the delight of their numerous fans. Of course, the single was just an appetizer for everything else still to come. Thandiswa "King Tha" Mazwai, one of the members of the diverse quartet, recently confirmed that Bongo Maffin will be releasing an album on November 29th—the group's first album in well over a decade.

Keep reading... Show less

get okayafrica in your inbox

news.

popular.