KREYOL.Magazine

01/07/2026

What began as a hobby for a 64-year-old Brazilian grandfather grew into a mission of representation as João Stanganelli Jr. created handmade dolls reflecting vitiligo and other disabilities. His custom creations have brought joy and confidence to children worldwide by helping them feel seen and celebrated. 🧶❤️

01/07/2026

01/07/2026

Thomas Elkins was an African American inventor, entrepreneur, and community leader best known for improving the design of the modern toilet.

In 1872, he was granted a U.S. patent for an improved toilet system that incorporated a hinged lid, ventilation features, and a more sanitary design—innovations that addressed hygiene, odor control, and user comfort at a time when indoor plumbing was still evolving. His work contributed to making toilets safer and more practical for everyday household use.

Beyond his inventions, Elkins was also deeply involved in civic and professional life. He was a successful businessman, a pharmacist, and a respected abolitionist who played a key role in Philadelphia’s Black community during the 19th century. As a founding member of the Vigilance Committee, he helped enslaved Africans escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad, making his legacy one that blends technological innovation with social justice and community leadership.

01/07/2026

From generations past to today, family stories remind us who we are. Let's honour the roots that ground us and the paths paved by those before us.

Every story matters. What legacy inspires you? 🌿✨

01/07/2026

The Black skin is not a badge of shame but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness. – Marcus Garvey. 🖤

01/07/2026

This Week in Benin History: The Death of Oba Ovonramwen is Announced

In the first week of January 1914, news reached Benin City that Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, the last independent ruler of the Benin Kingdom, had passed away in exile in Calabar, where he had been held since the British invasion of 1897. His death had occurred in the last week of December 1913, but, with the situation of things at the time, the announcement to the kingdom came weeks later.

On learning of his father’s illness, Prince Aiguobasimwin, later crowned Oba Eweka II, had travelled to Calabar in November 1913., although it was never established if the Crown Prince was present in his father’s final days to bear witness to the quiet end of a king whose reign had been violently interrupted, but never morally defeated.

Oba Ovonramwen’s story is one of resistance and dignity under impossible circumstances. After refusing to submit to British demands that threatened Benin’s sovereignty, his kingdom was invaded, his city burned, his sacred bronzes looted, and he was forcibly exiled. Yet even in defeat, he remained a symbol of legitimacy.

His death marked the end of an era, but not the end of the Benin monarchy. In 1914, the same year Nigeria was amalgamated by the British, Benin prepared for restoration. His son would ascend the throne as Oba Eweka II, beginning the long process of rebuilding a shattered kingdom.

It's been 129 years since the events of 1897. Oba Ovonramwen’s legacy endures as a reminder that conquest may seize territory, but it cannot erase cultural sovereignty, memory, or history.

01/07/2026

No More Brazilian Hairs In BURKINA FASO. By Captain Ibrahim Traoré
This is not an attack on women.
This is an attack on mental colonization.
Africa was not born inferior. Our hair was not a mistake. Our identity was not a problem until colonialism made profit from our insecurity. Billions leave Africa every year to buy what we already have—while our own industries are suffocated and our pride is sold back to us at a price.
When Burkina Faso says no more Brazilian hair, it is saying no more funding foreign economies with African poverty, no more teaching our children that beauty comes from elsewhere, no more exporting confidence and importing shame.
President Ibrahim Traoré is reminding Africa of a dangerous truth:
A people who do not respect themselves will never be respected.
Real revolution starts in the mind.
Real freedom starts with identity.
Real power starts when Africa chooses Africa—without apology.
This is not fashion.
This is decolonization. ✊🏿🔥🌍