Malva Pudding is not only a traditional South African dessert but also a sweet warm cake-like dessert that was loved by Nelson Mandela.

Malva pudding is scooped into bowl and topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. A vegetarian version can be made by replacing eggs with condensed milk.

Malva Pudding

Malva Pudding a Traditional South African Dessert

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons apricot jam

1 teaspoon baking soda

A small pinch of salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vinegar

3/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cream eggs and sugar add jam mix well. Sieve flour, soda, and salt. Add melted butter, vinegar, vanilla and milk to the egg mixture alternately with the flour. Bake in an ovenproof dish at 350°f 45 minutes. Malva pudding is scooped into a bowl and topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

More candy, cookies and cake African dessert recipes to whip up today.

1. Liberian Kanya Peanut Butter Candy
2. Couscous with Honey
3. Mango Potato Cake
4. Fresh Ginger Cake
5. Breadfruit Buttermilk Honey Cake

Xenophobia in South Africa

Xenophobia describes an intense fear or dislike of people from other countries or cultures. It can manifest in different forms, including prejudice, discrimination, and violence towards individuals or groups who are perceived as different. 

Xenophobia can arise from a variety of factors, such as economic competition, cultural differences, and historical tensions between different nations or ethnic groups. It can also be reinforced by negative stereotypes and misinformation about other cultures, as well as by political and social structures that promote nationalism and exclusion. 

Eliminating xenophobia involves promoting cultural diversity and understanding, as well as challenging negative stereotypes and misinformation about other cultures. It also involves creating social and political structures that promote inclusion and respect for all individuals, regardless of their background. 

By working towards a more inclusive and tolerant society, we can reduce the harmful effects of xenophobia and promote greater understanding and cooperation between different cultures.

One person’s truth is another person’s lie. Xenophobia characterize an intense fear and dislike of people from other countries or cultures including prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and violence. 

You have the freedom to discover who you are beyond your language, class, gender, and culture. We believe prejudices and stereotypes about other cultures without finding out the truth for ourselves which leads to racism and xenophobic attitudes.

Foreign nationals in South Africa say they are not taking anyone's jobs. They say that they are targeted because they are hard workers, and succeed at making money honestly. 

Foreign nationals say South Africans are bitter of their successes and should work with them as African brothers in order to learn valuable skills. The South African Government need to offer skills so South Africans can work skilled jobs instead of depending on menial jobs.

Xenophobia: One person’s truth is another person’s lie

Xenophobia has affirmed indifference to people beyond our own shores, embracing legislation that sharply limits legal immigration; entertaining a further chokehold on admitting immigrants; renouncing commitment to humanitarian ideals and rejecting pleas to help the vulnerable escape from war and bloodshed. 

Xenophobia is morally inexcusable, those whom Xenophobia shuns include children bereft of family, and survivors of rape, torture, and religious persecution. Africa cannot let Xenophobia define the world’s rich love by a poverty of spirit.

Police have been battling looting and violence in Jeppestown, Malvern and surrounding areas of Johannesburg South Africa for two nights in April 2015 in the latest flare-up of xenophobic violence. Police was on high alert in the Johannesburg after two consecutive nights of rubber bullets, looting and violence forcing a shutdown of a major highway, the M2 Highway.

Locals protested into the early hours demanding foreigners leave the area. They tried to barricade the N2-West highway with rocks but police retaliated with rubber bullets. A Malvern business owner says that although police are doing their best to quell the violence, they seem to be overwhelmed. 

"They're literally destroying what they destroyed the previous night. The police cannot contain the situation; they're using rubber bullets, these people are barricading themselves with pieces of zinc and metal that they're ripping off the shop fronts."

And, as the death toll from xenophobia linked violence has now risen to six, in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo is planning walkabouts in refugee camps as well as townships, where locals launched attacks on foreign nationals.

Reports of violent attacks on foreigners have dramatically decreased in the province since a peace march held in the City Centre, where KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu and religious leaders appealed for calm and called on Africans to unite. Foreign nationals living in the point area in Durban's inner city say they believe locals have tried to attack them because they are lazy and have warned that if they leave their expertise many jobs will be lost.

The foreigners have refused to leave the area and say people living in refugee camps around the city are struggling, so they would rather remain in their shops to defend what they have. Residents and business owners barricaded parts of the road in a tense standoff with locals from surrounding townships.

Varfee Kenneth from Liberia says they have benefitted from South Africa's economy because they do not have the same opportunities at home. "We are here in South Africa as brothers and sisters. We are not here to show that we are so special, no. we are West Africans, we believe in hard. We'll have to work hard and sweat, so when you are not doing nothing I'll take that opportunity and something with it because this is not my country."

Four shops belonging to foreigners were vandalized and looted in Cala near Queenstown on Thursday, after the discovery of the body of a woman who had disappeared in the week. Some foreign nationals are now seeking refuge at a local police station. The police's Khaya Tonjeni says police will do anything in their power to make sure lawlessness is not tolerated. "The South African Police Service will do everything within its powers to ensure the safety of all citizens and foreign nationals, and lawlessness will not be tolerated." 

Xenophobia describes an intense fear dislike of people from other countries or cultures including prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes and violence 

Did you know?
In 2017, Nigeria called on the African Union (AU) to intervene as a matter of urgency to halt xenophobic attacks of other African nationals in South Africa.

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3. Lighthouses of Egypt and Morocco
4. Mental Illness in Africa Taboos
5. Kente cloth inspired by a spiders web

Umsila Wenkomo means Oxtail Stew in the Xhosa African language. Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Nelson Mandela was of the Xhosa people and Umsila Wenkomo or Oxtail Stew was one of his favorite meals.

Umsila Wenkomo Oxtail Stew

 

Slow Cooker African Oxtail Stew

Ingredients

4 pounds oxtails

2 cups beef broth or stock

2 cups baby carrots

4 medium potatoes unpeeled and quartered

1 hot pepper

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients except for meat in a large slow cooker and mix well, add meat and simmer on low for 9-10 hours or high 6-7 hours. Serve with white rice.

Why are oxtails an expensive cut of meat?

They are not really expensive, its all about trendy supply and demand. Oxtails are the tail of cattle. Oxtails were not always expensive, years ago they were inexpensive. Oxtail is a more recent example of cooking shows using lesser known cuts of meat as exotic fare, oxtails was a poor man’s cut of meat that has evolved into an expensive food item. Oxtails are a tough cut of meat and slow cooking or pressure cooking are the only options for a tender dish.

Cook oxtails slow and low.

Many times people ask me, what is a good fictional book to read on Africa? 

Walking into a bookstore or browsing online, you are immediately hit with the notion that there are millions of books, what is a truly good read?

The African Gourmet top three modern African fiction must read are Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill, Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi and The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna.

Overall, I happily invest three hours a day reading.  I read to understand things I have never been exposed to by grace. Below is a short list of the books that inspired me to learn, grow, and laugh and to be motivated. Please share books you love in the comments section below.

Someone Knows My Name

by Lawrence Hill

Kidnapped from Africa as a child, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan, she becomes a scribe for the British, recording the names of blacks who have served the King and earned their freedom in Nova Scotia. 

But the hardship and prejudice of the new colony prompt her to follow her heart back to Africa, then on to London, where she bears witness to the injustices of slavery and its toll on her life and a whole people.

Ghana Must Go

by Taiye Selasi

Kweku Sai is dead. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story.

The Memory of Love

by Aminatta Forna

The Memory of Love takes the reader through the haunting atmosphere of a country at war, delicately intertwining the powerful stories of two generations. In contemporary Freetown, a devastating civil war has left an entire populace with secrets to keep. In the capital hospital Kai, a gifted young surgeon is plagued by demons that are beginning to threaten his livelihood.

 

Elsewhere in the hospital lies Elias Cole, a man who has stories to tell from the country’s turbulent postcolonial years that are far from heroic. As past and present intersect, Kai and Elias are drawn unwittingly closer by Adrian, a British psychiatrist with good intentions, and into the path of one woman at the center of their stories.

What is coming does not beat a drum

African Proverb

What is coming does not beat a drum - Malawi Proverb

What is coming does not beat a drum means danger doesn't announce itself with trumpets. This African Proverb is meant to warn that dangerous situations are not announced publicly in advance. By engaging in selfish behavior such as corruption, politicians are effectively subjecting themselves and their country to an ill-fated future. In Malawi, the country’s economic performance has historically been constrained by policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure, and rampant corruption.

About Malawi the warm heart of Africa

Malawi

1.         In the year 1480, Bantu tribes unite several smaller political states to form the Maravi Confederacy that at its height includes large parts of present-day Zambia and Mozambique plus the modern state of Malawi.

2.         In 1891, present day Malawi was sectioned off and became the British protectorate of Nyasaland.

3.         Malawi celebrates independence day on July 6, 1964 from the British.

4.         Malawi is named for the East African Maravi kingdom of the 16th century; the word "maravi" means "fire flames".

5.         Christian population of Malawi is around 83%.

6.         Malawi ranks among the world's most densely populated and least developed countries.

7.         Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries with a GDP of around $230.

8.         In 2015, about half of Malawi’s 29 districts were hit by floods, destroying agricultural livelihoods, leaving more than 1,150,000 people affected and 336,000 displaced.

9.         English and Chichewa are both the official languages of Malawi.

10.      The median age of Malawi is 16.5 years old.

Malawi

11.      Malawi is one of the world's hardest hit by HIV-Aids and home to more than one million children orphaned by the disease.

12.      Lilongwe is the largest and capital city of Malawi named after the Lilongwe River.

13.      Zomba was the capital of Nyasaland before the establishment of Malawi in 1964.

14.      Malawi is the 38^th largest country in Africa.

15.      Malawi is 100th largest country in the world.

16.      Malawi is landlocked and has no coastline.

17.      Malawi is surrounded by Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania.

18.      Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature; it contains more fish species than any other lake on earth.

19.      Lowest point is the junction of the Shire River.

20.      Highest point is Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) at 3,002 m.

Malawi

21.      Malawi's flag is three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered on the black band; black represents the native peoples, red the bloodshed in their struggle for freedom, and green the color of nature; the rising sun represents the hope of freedom for the continent of Africa

22.      Malawi's economy is predominately agricultural with about 80% of the population living in rural areas.

23.      Population enjoys electricity access, 9%, urban areas 32% and rural areas 4%.

24.      Malawi’s internet users total around 9%.

25.      Currency of Malawi is the kwacha.

26.      Agriculture accounts for about one-third of GDP and 90% of export revenues.

27.      Tobacco accounts for more than half of Malawi’s exports.

28.      The government faces many challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, addressing environmental problems, dealing with HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors on anti-corruption efforts.

29.      Malawi’s national symbol is a lion.

30.      National anthem "Mulungu dalitsa Malawi" (Oh God Bless Our Land of Malawi)

Did you know?

Malawi is known as the warm heart of Africa established in 1891; the British territory of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964.

Sweet Chicken

Nelson Mandela's personal chef says he was not a picky eater, he liked traditional down-home food. One of Nelson Mandela's favorite meals was Sweet Chicken. Cooking easy meals like Sweet Chicken satisfied Nelson Mandela and will satisfy the entire family at dinner time.

Xoliswa Ndoyiya in her new book Ukutya Kwasekhaya: Tastes from Nelson Mandela's Kitchen says Sweet Chicken was one of President Nelson Mandela's favorite meals.

Xoliswa Ndoyiya started cooking for him two years before he became president, which is over 22 years of cooking meals like Sweet Chicken. Below is our take on one of Nelson Mandela's beloved dishes, Sweet Chicken.

 

Nelson Mandela Sweet Chicken Recipe

 

Ingredients

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 chicken bouillon cube spice

1 cup any sweet marmalade or jam

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with the spices and add chicken to the pot. Add broth and let sit for about 10 minutes or until juice runs clear. Meanwhile in a large bowl mix yogurt and jam well. Add yogurt mixture to chicken and over low heat cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

More information on African Food Love.

Nelson Mandela Sweet Chicken recipe is real food you can make today, a recipe for the heart, mind, and soul. Try new recipes to make every night for dinner, it is time to upgrade your recipe skills to the next level.

More easy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
2. Ethiopian Scrambled Egg Breakfast
3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
5. Nigerian Breakfast Fried Akara and Ogi

African proverbs on the importance of fathers. One good father is worth a hundred teachers; fatherly love is the greatest gift given to a child.

Fatherly Love African Proverbs. African proverbs, fatherly love is the greatest gift given to a child. 

Fatherly love African proverbs teach us love holds a child tight, supports the soul and teaches how to love the world in return. African proverbs on the importance of fathers in a child’s emotional and social development set the stage for the path followed by the child later in life.

For a broader look at masculinity and identity, explore African Men: Identity, History & Culture.

When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him. - African Proverb

Hold a child with both hands. - African Proverb

Learning expands great souls. - African Proverb

If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings. ∽ African Proverb

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. - African Proverb

Nobody is born wise. - African proverb

A person is a person because of other persons - African Proverb

Ten additional fatherly love quotes and African proverbs we love.

In the king, there is the father.

Skill is stronger than strength.

Our mothers give to our spirit, heat, our fathers, light.

Patience is a necessary ingredient of fatherhood.

Like the air, the water, and everything else in the world, the heart too rises higher the warmer it becomes.

Lions are not frightened by cats.

Love is the father of love.

Old heads will not suit young shoulders.

One good father is worth a hundred teachers.

People throw stones only at trees that have fruit on them.

Together we build awareness that boost harmony, education, and success, below are more links to articles you will find thought provoking.

1. Historical African Country Name
2. Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
3. How many countries does Africa have?
4. Roots of Africanized Christianity Spiritual Songs
5. Chocolate Processing Facts History and Recipes
6. Awesome Kenyan Woman
7. Land is Not For Women in Sierra Leone
   
8. African Kente Cloth Facts
9. Accra the Ghanaian Capital Ultimate Mall Experience

Fathers love with eternal bottomless love. - African Proverb

In the Swahili language, the word Nakupenda means you are in love.

Nakupenda is pronounced just as its spelled Na-ku-pen-da. Swahili is a relatively simple language to learn, mostly because words are pronounced as they are written.

Hakuna matata is the most popular quote and means no worries.

The phrase gained international recognition after it was used in the animated movie The Lion King.

    

Learn the Swahili language of love

English Language	Swahili Language
Desire	Hamu
Want	Unataka
Passion	Shauku
I’m Sorry	Samahani
I Love You	Ninakupenda
Appreciation	Shukrani
Devotion	Ibada
Emotion	Hisia
Fondness	Upendo
Friendship	Urafiki
Infatuation	Kupendeza
Lust	Tamaa
Passion	Shauku
Respect	Heshima
Tenderness	Huruma
Yearning	Unataka
Adulation	Adulation
Amity	Uaminifu
Amorousness	Kupendeza
Ardor	Shauku
Attachment	Kiambatisho
Cherishing	Kutamani
Crush	Kuponda
Delight	Furaha
Devotedness	Kujitolea
Enchantment	Uchawi
Enjoyment	Furaha
Fervor	Fervor
Fidelity	Uaminifu
Flame	Moto
Hankering	Kukimbia
Involvement	Ushiriki
Like	Kama
Partiality	Upendeleo
Piety	Uungu
Rapture	Kunyakuliwa
Regard	Tazama
Relish	Furaha
Sentiment	Hisia
Weakness	Udhaifu
Worship	Ibada
Zeal	Bidii
Ardency	Ujasiri
Mad For	Wazimu
Soft Spot	Doa Laini

Family Igbo African Proverb

According to an ancient African proverb of the Igbo People, a child being carried on its mother's back is oblivious to the length of the journey they are undertaking. This proverb highlights the idea that when we are supported and protected, we are less likely to be aware of the difficulties that lie ahead.

In Igbo culture, the family's kinship systems hold significant importance, emphasizing the descent on the father's side. This means that lineage and inheritance are primarily traced through the father's family tree. This patrilineal system is deeply rooted in Igbo traditions and affects various aspects of social and cultural life, including marriage, naming ceremonies, and other forms of social recognition. The Igbo people believe that maintaining strong ties with their paternal ancestry is crucial in preserving their cultural identity and passing it down to future generations.

About Igbo people

The Igbo culture originated around the Awka-Orlu plateau nearby the Niger and Benue Rivers sharing linguistic ties with their neighbors the Bini, Igala, Yoruba, and Idoma. Igbo’s traditionally farmer staples of yams, cassava, and taro. The other crops grown are corn, melons, okra, pumpkins, and beans, for which men are chiefly responsible for yam cultivation and women for the other crops. 

The land is owned communally by kinship groups and is made available to individuals for farming and building. Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a Creator God Chukwu or Chineke, an Earth Goddess Ala, and numerous other deities and spirits as well as a belief in ancestors who protect their living descendants. 

Divination and oracles seek The revelation of the deities' will. Many Igbo are now Christians, some practicing Christianity intermingled with indigenous beliefs. The Nri people of Igbo land is known as the oldest kingdom in Nigeria and the cradle of the culture and civilization of the Igbo tribe. 

The Kingdom of Nri dates back to the 9th century and existed until it collapsed in 1911 on account of internal disputes, the slave trade, colonization, British invasion and expansion of kingdoms. The Nri Kingdom was structured around traditional beliefs and systems, including sacrifices, myths, taboos, norms, and values.

A child carried on its mothers back does not know the walk is long - Igbo Proverb

Did you know?
Today, many Igbo people are Christians; however, some Igbo people practice traditional Igbo religious beliefs called Odinani. Odinani played a considerable role in the everyday lives of the Igbo people.

Igbo New Yam Festival or iri ji ohuru is the celebration of yams with dancing, music and every imaginable dish made with yams.

 
Yam Porridge recipe is a delicious yam porridge recipe, this West African recipe is easy to make, just use canned yams.

Yam Porridge Recipe

Perfect yam cereal porridge for a delicious way to start the day, from Tour of Africa. Yam tubers have an extraordinary cultural value to the Igbo culture. 

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min Total time: 25 min

Yam Porridge Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup cooked white rice

1/2 cup can yams 

2 cups whole milk

Salt and sugar to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large pot, simmer until thick 15 minutes. Serve warm as a cereal. 

Did you know?
Yam belt of Africa includes Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Central Africa, Cameroon and Togo. Nigeria alone produces 71% the yams in Africa. Yams are major sources of income to Africa who produces 96% of the world’s yams.

There are four types of shea butter and unlimited shea butter uses. 

African  shea butter is cream colored oil extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. Shea butter is made from the oil of the shea tree and has earned the nam woman's  gold in Africa because of its economic value to African women.

 

Women processing Shea nuts using traditional methods

Of the estimated 600,000 tons of Shea nuts harvested in West Africa, about 350,000 tons are exported, mostly as raw nuts. Currently, 90% of Shea demand comes from the confectionery industry affording chocolate manufacturers an alternative to cocoa butter. Only 10% of Shea is currently used for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Shea butter is cream colored oil extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. Shea trees grow from Senegal to Uganda and have probably been used for thousands of years in food, skin balms, soaps and shampoos, traditional medicines and cooking and lamp oils. The use of Shea butter has been increasing steadily in recent years as consumers are demanding better quality natural, minimally processed ingredients in personal care items and food.

It takes approximately 20 years for a tree to bear fruit and produce nuts, maturing on average at 45 years. Most trees will continue to produce nuts for up to 200 years after reaching maturity. Eight African countries produce high quantities of Shea nuts; they are in order Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Guinea.

Until recently, as much as 90% of exported Shea product was raw nuts that were processed abroad. In 2010 that figure was 65% as processing operations in West Africa have increased in the last five years.

Most raw and unrefined Shea butter comes from producers in Africa who export the product for further refining.

Raw shea butter is shea butter which has not been filtered or molded into shapes and unrefined shea butter is filtered and sometimes molded. Both raw and unrefined shea butter has a distinctive odor, if you add a few drops of high-grade essential oil this will improve the scent.

Refined shea butter has undergone processing to remove its odor. Ultra-Refined Shea Butter has been significantly filtered and processed, which almost always loses the natural goodness of the shea nut.

The nuts of the shea tree can be collected and processed by crushing and grinding by hand or a machine to yield shea butter. Shea has long been recognized for its emollient and healing properties, ideal for soothing skin in the dry climate of the region. Reports of its use go back as far as the 14th century.

Your Old Phone Could End Up as E-Artwork

Old electronics don’t have to become trash. Across Africa, creative designers are transforming discarded phones, CDs, and computers into jewelry and modern art. This growing movement not only recycles e-waste but also creates income and raises awareness about sustainability.

Jewelry crafted from discarded phones and computer components.

Everyday Electronics Become Contemporary Art

Kenyan artist David Nderitu, once a homeless teen, now makes earrings and other jewelry from waste computer and cell-phone parts. He can craft around 60 pairs of earrings in just 15 days. His journey began at the Children, Youth Empowerment Center in Nyeri County, where young people learn trades to build self-sufficiency.

Mentors, including professors from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Nairobi, encouraged David to turn discarded technology into a business. During a 2010 visit, professor Owen Reitenauer was so inspired he decided to sponsor David’s education.

Computer components reborn as art and wearable fashion.

Turning Street Life Into Sustainable Design

At just 16, David left the streets to join a children’s home in Thunguma and enrolled in a welding program in the jua kali (informal) sector. There he got the idea to create eco-friendly jewelry from phone and computer scrap — earning a living while cleaning up e-waste.

Global Support for E-Waste Creativity

The now-defunct company Revivn once championed upcycling, collecting old electronics and donating them to low-income communities. In 2014 they highlighted artists using e-waste, including:

• Steven Rodrig — sculptures built from circuit boards with signature green designs.
• Alex Matizo — 19-year-old Kenyan entrepreneur making fashionable, eco-friendly earrings.
• Peter McFarlane — imaginative “fossils” created from technological debris.

This movement proves that sustainability and creativity can intersect, turning yesterday’s gadgets into tomorrow’s art.

Explore More African Innovation and Culture

• Cooking with Shea Butter Oil
• Indigenous Healers and Plants
• Most Influential Africans in History
• Afrofuturist Hair Art Designers
• Back to Africa Movement

Black hair photographer Ojeikere was an internationally celebrated African black hair photographer.

The natural hair revolution began with the legendary black hairstyle photographer Johnson Donatus Aihumekeokhai Ojeikere also known as J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere born in Nigeria Africa in 1930. 

Natural hair revolutionists power of black women began with African legendary black hairstyle photographer 'Okhai Ojeikere. He highlighted modern and traditional African perspectives of the art of hair design. Each African hairstyle had its own uniqueness giving a glimpse into the talented camera of a legendary Nigerian photographer. 

Ojeikere was a black hair photographer who is known for his work with unique hairstyles found in Nigeria. Ojeikere was raised in a small town in rural southwestern Nigeria.

The unique artistry of African hair has a long storied tradition

He lived and worked in Lagos, Nigeria. At the age of nineteen, JD Okhai Ojeikere buys a modest camera from a neighbor who taught him the basics of photography. His talent was noticed by the West Africa Publicity for which he worked full-time from 1963 to 1975 when he set up his studio "Foto Ojeikere." 

JD Okhai Ojeikere began working on his Hairstyle series in the late 1960s after he joined the Nigerian Arts Council and began documenting the country's culture. Forty years, he continued across Nigeria photographing hairstyles. Ojeikere photography of hairstyles of Nigerian women in everyday life, on the street, in the office, at parties leaves a heritage of anthropological, ethnographic and documentary legacy.  

For Ojeikere, this was a never-ending project as hairstyles evolve with fashion: "All thesis hairstyles are ephemeral. I want my photographs to be noteworthy traces of Nigeria. I always wanted to record times of beauty, knowledge of times. Art is life. Without art, life would be frozen."

This iconic photographer passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2014.