Wantok Travel Blog

Shona, are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, primarily living in Zimbabwe where they form the majority of the population, as well as Mozambique, South Africa, and a worldwide diaspora. The main groupings are the Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Tonga-Korekore, and Ndau.  The are the ones who built all stone Ruins in and around Zimbabwe together with their main brother tribe the Venda tribe about 2000 years ago. Archaeological evidence proves that Nguni civilisations only date back to about 1040 years ago. A couple of centuries before that it was reported that Rozvi people had decided to disperse from the now ruins like Great Zimbabwe creating new totems of animals for agricultural and game conservative reasons among other reasons. The Shona are farmers of millet, sorghum, and corn (maize), the last being the primary staple, and a variety of other crops such as rice, beans, peanuts (groundnuts), and sweet potatoes. Cattle are kept by most groups, but, although use...

In 1852, Jennie Jackson was born. She was a Black singer and voice teacher. She was one of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers, a cappella ensemble. Jennie Jackson was born in Kingston, Tennessee. Her grandfather was enslaved in Andrew Jackson's household. Her parents were also enslaved, but she was raised in freedom from an early age after her mother, a laundress, was freed. They lived in Nashville, Tennessee, during and after the American Civil War.  Jackson enrolled at the Fisk Free Colored School as one of its first students after it opened in 1866. She joined the Jubilee Singers when they formed in 1871. Jackson toured with the Fisk Jubilee Singers from 1871 to 1877, including concerts in Great Britain and Europe. They sang spirituals and other music in Cappella arrangements. Their tours raised funds for the Fisk University campus. Their audiences included Queen Victoria, Ulysses S. Grant, Henry Ward Beecher, Mark Twain, and William Lloyd Garrison. She left the group...

The first African-American architect to graduate from MIT and the country’s first academically trained black architect, Robert R. Taylor was truly groundbreaking. Born in North Carolina in 1868, he learned carpentry and construction from his father, a former slave, and worked as a construction foreman before enrolling in MIT. After graduating in 1892, he was recruited by Booker T. Washington to work at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he spent nearly four decades.  There, he was an influential educator, developing the architecture and construction trade program and inspiring countless students. He also designed and built a number of the campus’ structures, including libraries, residence halls, administration buildings, academic centers, and a dining facility. In 1899, Taylor designed The Oaks, Booker T. Washington’s home and the Tuskegee Institute’s social center, which offered employment services and on-the-job training for students. He considered the...

Born March 4, 1877, to Sydney and Elizabeth Morgan. In 1895, he left Cincinnati for Cleveland, where he settled, and married. Morgan was able to open a shop that sold and repaired sewing machines. Morgan owned and operated a tailoring shop that employed 32 people and manufactured dresses, suits, and coats. Morgan filed a patent application for another invention he had been working on, which he called a "breathing device." (gas mask) The device was not popular at first. but, Morgan used it to perfection in rescuing several people trapped underground as the result of an explosion at the Cleveland Waterworks. The rescue made the national news. Morgan began receiving orders for his device from fire departments across the country. In 1913 He set up the G.A. Morgan Refining Company to produce a hair straightening cream, that he invented and patented. In 1914 Morgan was granted US patent 1,113,675 for his invention.(gas mask) Morgan witnessed a serious accident at an int...

Bruce Lee, born on November 27, 1940, in San Francisco, California, was a legendary martial artist, actor, director, and martial arts instructor. His rise to fame can be attributed to his exceptional skills in martial arts, charisma, and determination. Here is a brief overview of Bruce Lee's rise to fame: 1. Early Training: Bruce Lee began studying martial arts at a young age under the guidance of his father, who was a renowned Cantonese opera singer. He learned various martial arts styles, including Wing Chun kung fu. 2. Move to the United States: In 1959, at the age of 18, Bruce Lee moved to the United States to further his education. He eventually settled in Seattle, where he began teaching martial arts and demonstrating his skills at various events. 3. Development of Jeet Kune Do: Bruce Lee developed his own martial arts philosophy and fighting style called Jeet Kune Do, which emphasized practicality, efficiency, and directness in combat. This philosophy would later...

Defeated the Boers twice, the British twice, amaSwati four times, defeated a combination of Boers and British once, combination of British and amaSwati once, he was hated by amaNdebele of Nyabela coz he took their cows easily, he was defeated in 1879 by a combination of Boers, British, amaSwati and few amaNdebele, four against 1 war yet it took one week to defeat Bapedi regiments of Matuba, there's alot of history about Bapedi that is hidden coz of what King Sekhukhune 1 did to White people, he was a nightmare to the British and didn't take the Boers seriously, King Cetswayo of amaZulu admired King Sekhukhune's fighting techniques and ended up befriending him, yes alot of people don't know about Bapedi Kingdom and amaZulu Kingdom alliance of 1800s His son King Sekhukhune ll is the one who sold cows and the money was used to sponsor what we call the ANC today and alot of people don't know this. After King Sekhukhune 1 was defeated by the combination of th...

Eastern Cape South Africa