Don't set sail on someone else’s star.

<br>Don't set sail on someone else’s star.



Chic African Culture Blog

Did you know?

1. No African country names begin with the letters F, H, I, J, O, P, Q, V, W, X, or Y.

2. Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent.

3. African tech startups raise billions of dollars annually, seven African start-ups were included in the World Economic Forum 2021 cohort of 100 Technology Pioneers.

African Culture is World Heritage

Appreciate Africa through African art, food, proverb sayings, folklore, biographies, spirituality and African living history.

Island of Mauritius coat of arms Dodo birds

Island of Mauritius coat of arms Dodo birds

Mauritius is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean and home to some of the world's rarest plants in the world and the Dodo bird. 

African Island of Mauritius

Mauritius coat of arms


The Republic of Mauritius is an island off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean.



The Dodo is an extinct flightless bird that became isolated on the African island of Mauritius. The Dodo is frequently used as a mascot on Mauritius by clubs, teams, and businesses. Moreover, the Dodo makes an appearance on the Mauritius coat of arms. 

The first recorded mention of the Dodo was by European sailors around 1598. Naturally, no photographs exist of the Dodo bird, its appearance is only known by written literature, and illustrations. Wild and domesticated animals hunted the bird and more importantly their eggs. It is widely accepted that the last Dodo was spotted between the years of 1658-1680.

The Dodo bird
A team from Oxford University and the Natural History Museum, London, has uncovered evidence on the genetic origins of the Dodo bird. DNA revealed the closest living relative to the Dodo is the Nicobar pigeon, from Southeast Asia. Secondly, the next nearest relatives to the Dodo were found to be the crowned pigeons of New Guinea, and the curious tooth-billed pigeon of Samoa.
The coat of arms of Mauritius consists of a Dodo Bird and Sambur Deer supporting sugar cane and a shield divided into four sections on a shield. In the first quarter a lymphad, an ancient ship with one mast, in the second, 3 palm trees, in the third is a key and the last a mullet argent. The country's motto, Stella clavisque maris indici, or Star and key of the Indian Ocean in English, is displayed in Latin on a ribbon below the shield, Dodo Bird and Sambur Deer.

Did you know

The island was an uninhabited island when the Dutch took possession in 1598. Abandoned in 1710, it was taken over by the French in 1715 and seized by the British in 1810. Mauritius gained independence in 1968 as a monarchy and became a republic in 1992.

Africa is surrounded by water but is not an island, here are a few African Island facts.

Madagascar is the 4th large island in the world and is located in the Indian Ocean supporting a unique biology, about 90% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else on earth.

Composed of 155 islands, Seychelles is Africa's smallest country. By far the largest island is Mahe, home to about 90% of the population and the site of its capital city of Victoria.

Cabo Verde has a strategic location 310 miles or 500 km from the west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site.

Africa is surrounded by water but by definition Africa is not an island because Africa is a continent. Continents can not be considered islands because of their size and also by historic definition since many people who study geography define islands and continents as two different things.

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Gold Olympic Medals Africa Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Nigeria are the top ten African countries with the most Gold Olympic medals. 10 African countries with the most Gold Olympic medals How much do you know about Africa's history at the Summer Olympics Games? The 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad has been a part of Africa’s history since 1904. Also in Rio 2016, the first-ever Team Refugees will stand before the world and prove that you can succeed no matter where you're from. Top ten African countries with the most Gold Olympic medals African Country Gold Silver Bronze Total Kenya 24 33 29 86 South Africa 23 26 27
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Beauty Does Not Pay Bills African Folklore Story In the popular African folklore story, Beauty Does Not Pay Bills a beautiful Zulu woman learns the hard way you cannot rely on how you look to pay the bills. Beauty Doesn't Pay Bills African Folklore Story As the ancestors say, a young Zulu woman was well known and prized throughout the land for her unique beauty. One day, she thought to herself since she is so beautiful she would only have to show up at the local market, and the people would bring her all she needed to survive. Therefore, when she saw the women go to market, carrying loads of vegetables, beans, bananas, and cocoyam, she put on her prettiest clothes adorned herself with costly beads and bracelets and followed the women to market. When she arrived at the market, people were busy bartering their vegetables for dried fish, salt, pottery, and other supplies. The beautiful woman stood there in the busy market empty-handed, and had nothi
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Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns African Recipes by African Gourmet   Chadian steamed honey cassava bun recipe has as many variations as to the fillings and the preparations. Our recipe offers a tasty filling of sweet honey to compliment the delicate soft steamed buns. Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 25 min Total time: 35 min Ingredients 2 cups cassava flour ½ cup water ¼ cup honey ½ teaspoon salt Honey for drizzling Directions Mix together cassava flour, water and salt. Knead until dough is formed then divide into 10 equal balls. Using your thumb make a deep indication in the center of each ball, fill with honey and smooth the dough back over the filling. Place squares of parchment paper under each ball so the dough does not stick to the steamer, steam in a bamboo steamer for 25 minutes. Drizzle with honey and serve warm as a snack, appetizer or with meals. [Read: Largest Ethnic Groups Of Chad Africa .] Chad Food Recipes
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Arrest in Rwanda 100 Days of Genocide

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Major Pierre Claver Karangwa, one of the executioners of the 100 day long Rwandan Genocide lived in the Netherlands for 26 years before his arrest​. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in mainland Africa with a population of 13 million living on 10,169 square miles of land; Rwanda is about the size of the US state of Maryland. The population is divided among ethnic lines with Hutu 85 percent, Tutsi 14 percent, and Twa 1 percent.  Major Pierre Claver Karangwa In 1959, three years before independence, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front and began a civil war in 1990. The mass killing of Rwanda’s Tutsi population was ignited on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying the-then president, Juvénal Habyarimana, was shot down and crashed in Kigali, t
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African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

African cultures express, encourage, and communicate energy

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Being African in America I have grown up learning about different ethnic cultures. My father and mother are historians of African culture and history and their influence expanded my activities to several best-selling cookbooks, magazine columns, self-branded products, and a popular African culture and food blog.

Chic African Culture

Be better than average and support African history and culture. Since 2008 Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet highlight Africa through her food and culture. Contact us culture1africangourmet@gmail.com

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