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Zikhona Valela Profile picture
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16 Jan, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Aaliyah would've turned 42 today. This year One In A Million celebrates its 25th anniversary and her self-titled album it's 20th. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of her untimely death.
She was so young and just getting started 💔
Not sure when One In A Million was taken off Apple but I bought a digital copy five years ago. The album was written for the future even as it's grounded in its time. Missy and Timbaland were truly ahead of their time. Weird how Missy's genius is less appreciated.
Always astounding how relevant she is 20 years later. Her sound and her aesthetic, as short as her career was, has allowed her to remain a persistent influence in pop culture. She was an artist of the future.

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More from @valavoosh

Zikhona Valela Profile picture
16 Jan
It's Sade's 62nd birthday. One of the beauty brands should've had a red lipstick named after her by now.
One of my favorite stories of Sade's influence has to do with my favorite album from Janet. Apparently Janet and her producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were in the studio deciding on a lead single. Up until 93 Janet had always led with an uptempo single (your Rhythm Nations etc)
So If off of this latest upcoming album (at the time) was definitely in the running for lead. Chuck D (one of her featured artists) apparently suggested That's The Way Love Goes using Sade's cool and understated classics as a point. And the rest is history.
Read 4 tweets
Zikhona Valela Profile picture
15 Jan
One of the beneficiaries of colonial looting, the British Museum, was opened on this day in 1759. The museum holds the largest collection of stolen artifacts & treasures from around the world- mainly the former British colonies. For example the sculptures of the Benin Kingdom.
Not sure what plans are considering this pandemic but Nigeria had planned to open a museum in which artifacts from this ancient kingdom will be exhibited. The upsetting part is that these will be shown on loan. Nigeria must loan treasurers stolen from them???
The museum is founded and thrives on theft. Though it opened in 1759 it was actually founded in 1753 after a physician, Hans Sloan, died. He worked in Jamaica and "collected" various animal and plant specimen from the island.
Read 7 tweets
Zikhona Valela Profile picture
7 Jan
Should we go into the details of these 125 years?
SA is built on the exploitation of labour. That labour has functioned on alcohol unfortunately. Very few people consume liquor purely for enjoyment unfortunately. When SAB opened its doors 1895 workers were paid in alcohol- the dop/tot system. 2 years into SAB's establishment
The Prohibition Act is introduced. This means black people are barred from buying your wines, beer etc. So SAB's products are exclusively for white people. But during this period beer brewing by Black women is the norm. Ayinxilisi ncam ke this type of beer. Apparently it had some
Read 17 tweets
Zikhona Valela Profile picture
6 Jan
Poet and educator Dr Benedict Wallet Vilakazi on the day of his graduation in 1946, making history as the first Black person in South Africa to obtain a PhD. He was born on this day in 1906. Vilakazi Street in Soweto is named after him.
His birth name is Bambatha. He would be baptized Benedict Wallet during his years at a Catholic school in Groutville.
Utata was appointed teaching assistant in 1934 at Wits making history as the first Black person to teach there. He also made history as the first to publish an anthology of poems in isiZulu. He passed away a year after obtaining his PhD.
Read 11 tweets
Zikhona Valela Profile picture
27 Dec 20
Remembering the 212 enslaved Africans who drowned on this day in 1794 when ship they were on, Sao Jose Paquete de Africa, got caught between two reefs off the Camps Bay coast and broke apart. They were among 543 enslaved people who had been kidnapped from Mozambique.
The 331 survivors were sold to Dutch farmers. The ship had set sail 3 weeks before heading for Brazil.
These were some of the remains of the ship found five years ago by archeologists.
Read 10 tweets
Zikhona Valela Profile picture
25 Dec 20
The 8th war of colonial resistance began on this day in 1850. AmaNgqika launched an attack on colonial settlements 2 months after Harry Smith deposed (the audacity) ukumkani uSandile for not attending one of his meetings.
So many towns in South Africa are named after battle zones and generals who invaded and stole this land. Give yourself a moment to read some of the work written about this era: You're likely to be reminded of a town you'd passed through or lived in etc.
Harry Smith was so arrogant he fell out with a lot of people that could've been allies by the time this war began. The free burghers he could've asked to help out just kept it moving. Didn't bat an eyelid. The Black people who worked as police resigned.
Read 6 tweets

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