Uhuru brother! Thanks for becoming my friend. Enjoy the site and meet all these wonderful people ... hopefully we'll be chatting in the future ... until next time take care ...

Welcome brother to this wonderful site! Glad you joined us. It’s packed with equally wonderful and interesting people (including me!). There’s a lot going on like online chat with friends, jobs, events and even Black History courses that I think has got to be a must for anyone wanting to know about Africa’s glorious past with its great empires and kingdoms. Did you know that the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars made out of gold! Or that the city of Timbuktu, on the Niger River, was a centre of learning. Or that the wealthy empires of Songhai and Benin dominated the area. When Europeans first went to Africa in the 1460s, the continent was made up of many different states and kingdoms. They had their own trade networks and practiced advanced forms of farming. In some areas gold and copper were mined and in others cloth making and metal-casting were important activities. This was a great period of history that is until … well you know what happened next. However, it should be noted that as the British and French advanced into West Africa, they came into conflict with well established Islamic kingdoms that were strong enough to repel the invaders. Anyway, I hope everyone will see this platform as a means of uniting people and bringing together minds and thoughts with a view to building a better future not just our for children but for ourselves as well with hope, peace and unity. Anyway, whatever you do, please do check out my profile details where you’ll be surprised at how much is on this single page! Even my avatar and ‘status’ say something for the African people. Here, you’ll also see friends listed; they really are a great bunch so please get in touch with them; they’ll be glad to be your friend! There’s also an uplifting message for the African people and indeed for all of mankind that quite frankly is an answer to many of the world’s problems if only people took the time and effort to read it properly. One Africa! One Nation! One God Almighty! That says it all! Need I say more brother?

Welcome brother to this wonderful, cool site! Well, it’s got to be cool if it’s got me on it! Anyway, glad you joined us. It’s packed with equally wonderful and interesting people (including me!). There’s a lot going on like online chat with friends, jobs, events and even Black History courses that I think has got to be a must for anyone wanting to know about Africa’s glorious past with its great empires and kingdoms. The powerful (yes! powerful) West African kingdom of Ghana, which had dominated West Africa for centuries since around 500, prospered from its gold trade; Arab writers later called Ghana “the land of gold” because of its great wealth; the Ghana Empire increased its wealth through its gold trade with the Muslim North Africa and other smaller cultures grew up such as at Igbo-Ukwu. Indeed, the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars made out of gold! Trade was important in West Africa and this increased when traders began to use camels to cross the Sahara Desert with gold and salt. In the grasslands south of the Sahara, city states grew rich and powerful. Many of their kings adopted the Islamic religion. Mansa Musa, the king of Mali, went to Mecca in Arabia in the 14th Century, paying everyone with gold on the way. Other states grew up in the forest areas nearer to the coast. These were also rich, from trading in gold, leather goods and cloth. City states on the east coast, such as Kilwa and Sofala, sent ivory, gold, copper and gum by sea to Arabia, India and China. The gold came from the powerful inland state of Zimbabwe. Kilwa had grand houses and a large Muslim mosque built of coral stone. Wow what a rich and great history! … that is until … well I think you know what happened next. Regrettably, during the 16th Century Portuguese guns and ships destroyed the wealth of these coastal states. Needless to say the Portuguese empire was based on slavery. Anyway, whatever you do, please do check out my profile details where you’ll be surprised at how much is on this single page! Even my avatar and ‘status’ say something for the African people. Here, you’ll also see friends listed; they really are a great bunch so please get in touch with them; they’ll be glad to be your friend; there’s also an uplifting message for the African people and indeed for all of mankind that quite frankly is an answer to many of the world’s problems if only people took the time and effort to read it properly! One Africa! One Nation! One Billion Strong! One God Almighty! That says it all! Need I say more brother?

Welcome brother! If I were to say to you that this is a fantastic site. Or an amazing site. Or a brilliant site. It would be an under statement. For this site is packed with equally fantastic, amazing and brilliant people (including, of course, me but I come with an additional ‘thought provoking’ category!!!). Anyway, there’s a lot going on like online chat with friends, jobs, events and even Black History courses that I think has got to be a must for anyone wanting to know about Africa’s glorious past with its great empires and kingdoms. West Africa was part of a major trading network [long before the arrival of Europeans]. The powerful (yes! powerful) West African kingdom of Ghana, which had dominated West Africa for centuries since around 500, prospered from its gold trade; Arab writers later called Ghana “the land of gold” because of its great wealth; the Ghana Empire increased its wealth through its gold trade with the Muslim North Africa and other smaller cultures grew up such as at Igbo-Ukwu. Indeed, the kingdom of Ghana was so rich that the dogs in the king’s palace wore collars made out of gold! The empire of Benin lay further south and was founded in the 11th century. Its success was based on commerce – the trade with Western Sudan for copper and other goods. By the 15th century Benin was a major trading empire. I hope everyone will see this platform as a means of uniting people and bringing together minds and thoughts with a view to building a better future not just for our children but for ourselves as well with hope, peace and unity. Anyway, on your travels please do check out my profile details where you’ll find several links of great interest about African unity; even my avatar and ‘status’ say something for the African people in this respect. There’s also an uplifting message for the African people and indeed for all of mankind that quite frankly is an answer to many of the world’s problems if only people took the time and effort to read it properly. In addition, you’ll see the friends there; they really are a great bunch so please get in touch with them; they’ll be glad to be your friend! One Africa! One Nation! One God Almighty! One billion strong! What more can I say brother?

Uhuru brother! Thanks for becoming 'friends'! Grab that drink, sit back, relax and enjoy the site! There's a lot going on and that's just what's on my page! Anyway, until next time take care ... Brother of Africans ...

For the last 2 years I have surrounded myself with all things related to Dominica. 3 years ago I didn't even think about the country much.

A year ago I decided I wanted to live there - at least during England winters and I hadn't visited the country in 30 years!

In July I returned for 2 weeks and I am desperate to get back there for much longer. I got to run a workshop on using blogs and social media that went down well and would love to do more of that too! (If anyone knows how I could get sponsorship please let me know!)

Being "home" and having people walk up to you and know who you are based on what you look like is amazing. Visiting my fathers village where he grew up and where his mother and grandmother grew up and being made to feel as if I belong - no question - is also amazing.

Being in England it was a part of me that has been missing for a very long time and I am so glad to have reconnected.

I decided to keep that connection by seeing how I can link England and Dominica so I....

...Found a natural soap company and am thinking about importing their soaps to sell in the UK

...opened a deposit account and can send money via Money Gram to it so that I have money saved when I visit.

...Am looking to go back to run more workshops.

I am not political but am people motivated. I don't want to change the island, or save the island or even try and make it more "like England" - like so many other members of the Diaspora want to do. I just want to go and enjoy the island flow!

I still don't feel as if I am Dominican but I know that feeling will come the more I stay connected.

If you are feeling lost/disconnected I recommend a trip to the land of your parents to see if that helps you.

Can I ask...

How do you feel about your Fathers (or mothers) homeland?

Do you have a connection or as a first generation Diaspora member do you feel you don't belong?

Would love to hear about anyone else who is feeling very connected or not connected at all, especially if you have plans to live "back home"

I met someone at a business event who works with companies to help their employees who have to manage a lot of their work on the internet and/or on the computer.

He said that constantly trying to do 2 or 3 things at a time like reading something, then checking emails, then going to watch a video - has long term effects on our mental health and judgement.

I have to confess to not listening in on the whole conversation but its quite interesting.

For the past 5 years 90% of what I do is online and I really want to get off my computer and out more - which is why I found a natural product to sell.

I work online, I shop online and have it delivered, I bank online. I never have to leave my house any more and that is just scary to me right now. It also means I never really meet anyone unless I arrange to have lunch with friends and as they keep telling me... "you ain't ever gonna find a man in your computer!"

I am even considering finding a job and going back to work just to get me out of the house and back into the real world.

As with everything in life I guess it is about balance and my life has been so very unbalanced until January this year when I said ENOUGH!!!

Would love to know about your next one if you run anything in September