"Brooklyn to Benin: A Vodou Pilgrimage"
Director: Régine Romain
Assistant Director: Olatoundji Fagbenro
Executive Producer: Régine Romain
Producers: WaWaWa Diaspora Centre and Trinity Empire
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"Brooklyn to Benin: A Vodou Pilgrimage" begins with an aerial view of the Route des Esclaves (Slave Road) in Ouidah, which terminates at the Atlantic Ocean. Millions of captured Africans were shipped off into slavery for hundreds of years from this location in Benin (formerly Dahomey), West Africa. In tandem to the shifting gaze from the road to the ocean, a traditional prayer is spoken in Fon, an indigenous language of the region, and is performed by Adissowé, a Vodou high priestess.

As the invocation honors the four corners of the earth and offers reverence to the mysteries of nature, a woman emerges into view. She is a daughter from the other side of the water, who has now returned to the original homeland of her Haitian ancestors. The viewers follow her slow steady walk across Ouidah beach, as she becomes the narrator and offers the historical context of the film, free of the traditional Western bias and stereotypes of Vodou and its practitioners.

The narrator is Régine Romain and she shares her three-year journey documenting the survival of traditional African religion in the Americas. Still photographs of ceremonies and shrines in Brooklyn, NY; southern United States; Central America; and Haiti are displayed. The camera then trails the narrator as she enters a shrine for Aïda Wedo, an ancient Mami Wata divinity amidst the evocative sounds of a Haitian folksong for the exact same deity, affirming that the spirits of Vodou “c’est bon,” are good.

Viewers continue to follow her journey across the sands toward the historic Door of No Return. Each step is a powerful affirmation that she is a descendent of survivors. As the narrator states “honor one’s God fearlessly,” her footsteps fade into a montage of women in traditional dress, singing and dancing in praise and devotion. “Brooklyn to Benin” creates an alternative cinematic experience of Vodou grounded in honor and respect.

Support the journey: www.gofundme.com/BktoBenin.com

Follow the journey: Instagram [Regine Romain]

www.REGINEROMAIN.com

Start your day with Twi! In this lesson, Kunda Kids teaches your child how to have their very first conversation in Twi. We move beyond single words into simple dialogues and essential greetings that you can use every morning!

THE CHALLENGE: Do you know the Twi phrase for "Good Morning"? Watch the video to see if you can guess it before the timer runs out!

In this lesson, we cover:

Morning, Afternoon, and Evening greetings

How to ask "How are you?" and respond

Native Twi pronunciation for kids and beginners

Real-life conversation practice for families

📖 Dialogue Practice:

Good Morning — M'akye (Response: Yaa agya/ena) ☀️

How are you? — Wo ho te sɛn?

I am fine — Me ho yɛ

Subscribe to Kunda Kids Languages for more interactive Twi lessons, African stories, and cultural adventures! 🌍✨

ABOUT KUNDA KIDS 🌟

Kunda Kids is an award-winning children's publishing, ed-tech and media company based in London, UK. Founded in 2020 by Oladele and Louisa Olafuyi, Kunda Kids aims to showcase African edutainment, with various elements of African culture in creative, fun, and simple formats for children.

Discover more at www.kundaandfriends.com
Social Media @kundaandfriends

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#learnafricanlanguages, #africanlanguages, #speakafrican, #africanculture, #languagelearning, #learnyoruba, #learnswahili, #learnigbo, #learntwi, #learnzulu, #learnhausa, #learnamharic, #learnwolof, #learnshona, #africandiaspora, #africanheritage, #africanroots, #africaneducation, #africanstorytelling, #africanidentity, #multilingualafrica, #africanlearning, #africanlanguagelessons, #africanpride, #culturaleducation, #learnwithme, #africanwords, #africangreetings, #languagechallenge, #africanlanguagesmadeeasy

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We help brands grow through strategic video, design, and content that actually attracts attention, builds trust, and converts.
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Sunumi Brown is a visionary leader in psychedelic education. Her groundbreaking work has been featured in TEDX, Oakland Hyphae, Forbes for her course with Doubleblindmag on Psychedelics and Maternity, and in The Guardian’s article “The Black Mothers Finding Freedom In Mushrooms.”

What if the greatest obstacle to healing isn't the pain itself—but the way we've been taught to think about healing?

In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore why healing was never meant to depend on a single solution. From stillness and breathwork to music, community, and other holistic practices, our guest explains why true healing happens when we move beyond a "one-size-fits-all" mindset and embrace a more interconnected approach.

Whether you're interested in mental health, spirituality, personal growth, or community wellness, this discussion challenges conventional ideas and offers a fresh perspective on what it really means to heal.

What You'll Learn:

Why searching for one "magic cure" can limit healing
The importance of community in the healing process
How repetitive thought patterns can keep us feeling stuck
Why holistic healing requires multiple tools working together
A new perspective on healing, growth, and transformation

Learn more about Sunumi Brown and her work at:
www.FlorasVillage.com

🎧 Catch 'I NEVER KNEW RADIO
for Roots, Rock, Reggae Music!
Hosted by Jr a.k.a 'The Bald Head' of 'I Never Knew TV'
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Listen live: https://wloy.org/listen/

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Learn to read the Hebrew Bible in its original language. Live twelve-week class with Dr. Kipp Davis. Join here: https://www.religiondepartment.com/bookofjonah

Was the God of Israel married? Inscriptions from the Sinai pair Yahweh with "his Asherah," a Canaanite mother goddess worshipped across the ancient Near East.

Special thanks to Dr. Lauren McCormick. Check out her incredible web exhibit on the Judean Pillar Figurines here: https://laurmcco.github.io/jud....eanpillarfigurineexh
Follow her blogging at https://www.biblicalarchaeolog....y.org/author/lmccorm

00:00 Intro
1:26 Athirat/Asherah in the Ugaritic Literature
5:20 Asherah in the Hebrew Bible
9:00 Sacred Trees, asherahs, and iconography
14:10 Judean Pillar Figurines: Asherah or Not?
18:53 Kuntillet Ajrud Inscription
25:29 Was Asherah the wife of God?
27:32 Erasure of Asherah in later translations
29:59 Sign up for Biblical Hebrew!

De Beers built the most powerful monopoly in modern history — not with guns or governments, but with a story. For over a century, one company controlled 90% of the world's diamond supply, convinced billions of people that a common stone was rare, invented the diamond engagement ring tradition, and made "A Diamond Is Forever" the slogan of the twentieth century. But today, that empire is collapsing. Anglo American has written down De Beers by $6.8 billion in just three years. Lab-grown diamonds now make up over 45% of U.S. engagement ring sales. And the company that manufactured scarcity is being made obsolete by a furnace.

In this video, we trace the full story — from a boy finding a pebble on a South African riverbank in 1866, to Cecil Rhodes' ruthless consolidation of the Kimberley mines, to Ernest Oppenheimer's Central Selling Organisation cartel, to the greatest advertising campaign ever run, to the blood diamonds crisis, and finally to the lab-grown revolution that is dismantling everything De Beers spent a century building.

This is the story of how one company rewired human culture — and what happens when the myth finally breaks.


Sources:

• Anglo American Annual Financial Reports (2023, 2024, 2025)
• JCK Online — "Anglo American Writes Down De Beers' Value to $2.3 Billion" (February 2026)
• JCK Online — "Anglo American Writes Down De Beers' Value by $2.9 Billion" (February 2025)
• JCK Online — "Anglo American Writes Down De Beers' Value by $1.6 Billion" (February 2024)
• Edahn Golan Diamond Research — Lab-Grown Diamond Wholesale Price Data
• NBC News — "Diamond industry 'in trouble' as lab-grown gemstones tank prices further"
• ICIJ — "Conflict Diamonds Are Forever"
• VOA News — "Botswana's Longtime Diamond Deal With De Beers Under Threat"
• Advertising Age — "Slogan of the Century" (1999)
• N.W. Ayer & Son Agency Records — De Beers Campaign Archives
• Encyclopedia.com — "De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited"
• South African History Online — "Sir Ernest Oppenheimer"
• Nasdaq — "Anglo Takes Third De Beers Writedown in Three Years"
• Ecofinagency — "Anglo American Nears De Beers Sale After Two Years of Uncertainty"


#debeers #diamonds #diamondmonopoly #labgrowndiamonds #cecilrhodes #adiamondisforever #diamondindustry #moneyandpower #economichistory #monopoly #angloamerican #botswana #blooddiamonds #finance #wealthandpower #documentary #diamondmyth #manufacturedscarcity #capitalism #history