Home » Archive by category 'Experiences'

Experiences

The Best Moments from the Paris 2024 Olympics

The 2024 Olympics: The best , the worse and everything in between

The 2024 Olympics have been nothing short of spectacular, filled with moments that will go down in history. So, whether you were glued to your screen or following update on social media, the Olympics were a feast of athletic prowess, cultural pride, and unforgettable moments.

The 2024 Olympics were filled with breathtaking performances, unexpected triumphs, and heartwarming and unforgetable moments. Moment that will be remembered for years to come. From the spectacular opening ceremony to surprise victories, here’s a look at the top best moments from the Paris Olympics.

Instagram Paris 2024

1. A Dazzling Opening Ceremony

The 2024 Olympics kicked off with a breathtaking opening ceremony that showcased the best of Parisian way of life. From stunning performances by world-renowned artists such French-Malian Aya Nakamura and Lady Gaga. Or, the intricate scenography that brought to life the history of the city and, of the Olympic Games, the ceremony set the tone for what would be an unforgettable competition. The highlights? The ceremony took place in the open air and around the city’s landmarks. Celine Dion’s mesmerising rendition of Hymne à l’amour (a French classic from legendary singer Edith Piaf), againt a glittery Eiffel Tower, was probably thee highlight of the night.

2. African Nations Shine Bright

The 2024 Olympics were a landmark event for African nations, who not only competed fiercely but also brought home unprecedented medals. From track and field to gymnastics and, team sports, African athletes displayed their exceptional talents and brought pride to their nations. For instance, Letsile Tebogo (Botswana) won his county its first ever gold medal in the men’s 200 meters. The South Africa’s men’s 4×00 silver medal is also particularly noteworthy. Kenya and Ethiopia continued success in long-distance running deeserve praises.

A shout out to the following African athletes for their stand out performances :

  • Kaylia Nemour (Algeria) first ever medals in gymnastics
  • Tatjana Smith (South Africa) , she clinched gold and silver in Swimming
  • David Pina (Cae Verde), who brought the country its first ever olympic medal in boxing.

It is also worth mentioning the Cameroonian born Cindy Gamba, who made history by being the first athele competing in the Refugees team, to win a medal.

3. Simone Biles’ Triumphant Return

Simone Biles, the gymnastics legend, made a powerful comeback at the 2024 Olympics after taking a mental health break during at the 2020 Olympics. Her return was met with overwhelming support, and she didn’t disappoint. Biles demonstrated why she’s considered the greatest gymnast of all time. Indeed she won gold in both the individual all-around and floor events. Furthermore, her performance was not only a testament to her resilience but also, an inspiring reminder of the importance of mental health in sports.

4. Black Girls Magic Viral Moment

An all-black girls podium became a viral internet sensation of these 2024 Paris Olympic and a heartfelt moment. Rebecca Andrade (Gold/Brazil), Simone Biles (Bronze/USA) and Jordan Chiles (Silver/USA) are indeed the winning trio of the women’s artistic floor exercise final.

Rebecca’s win is a story of resilience and determination that deserves to be celebrated.

Unfortunately, due to some ruling technicalities’s it was announced on Monday that Chiles will have to return her bronze medal and bumped to 5th place.

Instagram Paris 2024

5. Snoop Dogg Steals the Show as the Olympic Mascot

In one of the most unexpected yet delightful moments of the 2024 Olympics, rapper and pop culture icon Snoop Dogg took on the role of the official Olympic mascot. His unique flair brought a new level of entertainment to the Games, from his commentary during events to his interactions with athletes and fans. Snoop’s presence added a touch of humor and relatability to the Olympics, making the Games more accessible and enjoyable for audiences around the world. Who would have tought that some Gangsta’ rapper of the 90ies would become this cool figure loved by kids, moms and grandmas around the world!

Snoog Dogg re-endorsed his rapper role and performed (alongside long time collaborator, Dr Dre), from Venice Beach in Los Angeles, the next Olympics host city.

6. South Sudan and Nigeria’s Basketball Triumphs

The South Sudan Men’s Basketball Team and the Nigeria Women’s Basketball Team made headlines with their exceptional performances. South Sudan, a relatively new nation in the (sports) world, defied the odds by participating in the Olympics and showcasing their growing basketball prowess against big teams. Nigeria’s women’s team, the D’Tigress, on the other hand, made history by being the first African women team to reach the quarter finals stages in the Olympics.

6. Imane Khelif’s Golden Revenge

The controversy regarding Algerian’s boxer Imane Khelif’s gender, unfortunately casted a dark cloud over the Olympics. Like Imane, many females’ athletes before, mostly women of colors, have been accused of being men or transgenders and subjected to bullying and demeaning treatments. Wining gold medals was the best revenge for Imane.

Earlier this week, it was announce that Khelif filed a lawsuit for cyber-bulllying and reportedly named people like author JK Rowling and X’s owner, Elon Musk.

7. Nail-Biting Basketball Finals Between USA and France

The basketball finals between the USA and France were nothing short of electrifying. Both the men’s and women’s teams delivered performances that kept fans on the edge of their seats. The matches were tightly contested, with a very tight lead in both games, but in the end, it was the USA that emerged victorious, continuing their legacy of basketball dominance.

8. Australia’s Viral Breakdancer

“Grand opening, grand closing”? Breakdancing was one of the few new non-traditional sports introduced at this year Olympics, alongside skateboarding (which features mostly young stylish teenagers) surfing, and climbing.

Unfortunatel, breakdancing became a meme at these Olympics, due to the lacklustre performance of Australian so-called breakdance routine. Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn delivered a performance that resembled more a toddler tantrum than displaying real breakdancing skills. Behind all the memes and the ridicule, it was really an insult to the pioneers and real lover of the genre.

Breakdancing will apparently not be feature at the 2028 edition in Los Angeles.

9. The End of Jamaica and USA’s Track Dominance

The 2024 Olympics marked the end of an era in track and field as new nations rose to the occasion, ending the long-standing dominance of Jamaica and the USA. This changing of the guard was particularly evident in the sprint events, where emerging athletes from countries like Botswana and Dominica (Not Dominican Republican) took centre stage, proving that the future of track is truly global.

Instagram Paris 2024

10. Sifan Hassan’s Record-Breaking Run

Dutch (Ethiopian born) runner Sifan Hassan once again proved her dominance in long-distance running by winning bronze in the 5000 & 10 000 meters and gold in the women’s marathon! Her incredible pace, endurance and famous ‘late kick’ left spectators in awe, and her achievement further cemented her status as one of the greatest runners of her generation. It was also beautiful to withess Sifan received her last medal proudly donning her hijab in a country that forbids its athletes to do so. Diversity and inclusion at the Olympics, and in every parts of society, deserve celebration, or at least, respect.

11. Yseult’s “My Way” Rendition at the Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics was not as captivating as the opening (with its famous controversial ‘Cene’. The pace and the quality of the performances were uneven and quite boring at time, but standout performance by French singer Yseult saved the night. Her soulful rendition of “My Way”, a cover by Frank Sinatra of ‘Comme habitude (Claude Francois) was both a celebration and a poignant farewell, capturing the spirit of perseverance and individuality that defined these Olympics. The performance left a lasting impression on all who watched, serving as a reminder of the power of music to bring people together.

The 2024 Olympics will be remembered for many things, but these moments stand out as the highlights that captured the world’s attention. Whether you were cheering for your favorite athletes or simply enjoying the spectacle, these moments remind us of the power of sports to inspire, unite, and entertain.

Au revoir Paris! you’ve given us so many unforgettable moments.

*******************************

Welcome to the Queendom : http://houseofnzinga.com/welcome/

Facebook page : House of Nzinga

Instagram:  @Fabulous_Trysh (Personal Page)

Instagram: @House_of_Nzinga (Official Page)

New Podcast Alert!! : Check out Zazi on all podcast platforms

5 facts you should know about Ghana

View from Elmina Castle, A slave dungeon and fort in Cape Coast Ghana.
One of the view from the large Elmina Castle wide top windows. Picture (House Of Nzinga)

Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Ghana for work. I wish I was a travel blogger to create tons of vlogs and take incredible pictures and videos to convey the real magic that is Ghana. There is so much to take in that is impossible to convey everything into one blog post. But I’m sure last year your social media were flooded by beautiful pictures of Ghana, while the country was celebrating the Year of Return.

Here is a top 5 about modern and ancient facts you should know about Ghana. Also if this country is on your wish-list, go ahead and visit it, you will absolutely love it.

  1. The Year of return

Last year Ghana successfully launched a campaign aimed at encouraging people of African descent to return home to Ghana. The year of 2019 was chosen because it marks 400 years since the first slaves ships arrived in the city of Jamestown, in Virginia (1619, USA). This anniversary was marked with a series of arts and cultural events that culminated in December with events such as AfroNation and Afrochella among many others high-profile events. The campaign is estimated to have attracted around 1 million visitors and injected 1.9 billion US dollars in the economy (source bbc.com). Unless you’ve been living under a rock, social media were buzzing with content from the Year of return, from the celebrities flocking into Accra, to the public attending and enjoying music events or visiting historic landmarks; Accra gave us all the feels last year.

PS: To continue reaping off the benefits of this hugely successful marketing campaign, and build sustainable results Ghana has launched the campaign Beyond the return.

2. The Door of the No return

Like many West-African coastal countries, Ghana has many historic sites that is a testament of the cruelty of the slavery practice. It is estimated that 75 per cents of these dungeons are situated in West Africa, in countries such as Seengal, Benin, Nigeria among others. I visited the Elmina castle on the Cape Coast Castle and Museum, with an amazing guide and storyteller whose narration plunge you in one of the saddest and most atrocious period of our common history. A very emotional visit but a must see for anyone who want to learn about such an important period of human history.

Entry to one of the Female slaves dungeon . Pictures (House Of Nzinga).

3. Yaa Asantewaa and the battle for the golden stool

Born around 1840 into the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa was another African female leader known as brave and fierce.  Yaa Asantewaa fought the British invaders in the famously named “The golden stool fight” (1900). After British Governor Sir Frederick Hodgson demanded that he owns and seat on the Golden stool, a sacred symbol of the Ashanti empire, Yaa Asantewaa called her people to resist in these words: “If you, the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. I call upon my fellow women. We will fight till the last of us die in those battlefields”. Women occupied prominent roles in the Ashanti culture and were involved in the government and judicial and affairs including deciding when to launch or to stop a war. The Ashanti people fought a long and fierce battle, since the beginning of British led invasions, but unfortunately were defeated in 1902. Yaa AAntewaa and other prominent figures of the empire were deported to the Seychelles where she died.

4. Many celebrities and high profiles personalities in the US and UK diaspora are from Ghana heritage.

These includes, Idris Elba, Boris Kodjoe, Kofi Siriboe and Marketing executive Bozoma Saint John. Boris Kodjoe and Bozoma Saint John have been instrumental in using their star power and influence for the Year of Return campaign, by inviting celebrities to join them, at the Essence Full circle festival.

5. The actual country Ghana’s name was inspired by the ancient Ghana Kingdom

Previously called Gold Coast and under British administration, Ghana get renamed after its independence on 6 March 1957. Kwame Nkrumah is the 1st president of the republic of Ghana. Actual Ghana must not be confused with the ancient empire of Ghana, which was situated further north, in the area of present-day south-eastern Mauritania and Western Mali. Ghana means warriors kings and was the name given to kings in the empire. Before its decline, the Ghana empire was a very wealth kingdom that traded mainly gold and salt.

Have you ever been to Ghana? how was your trip? or perhaps you have visited another dungeon, Door Of No Return in another country. How was your experiences?

The Year Of Return Promo video

Xx, PYM

Let’s get social, let’s connect!

Website:    http://houseofnzinga.com/

Facebook page : https://web.facebook.com/houseofnzinga/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabulous_trysh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house_of_Nzinga/ 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/houseofnzinga

Portfolio : linktr.ee/PatriciaYumbaM

2020 : first quarter in review


World War III and Meghan says “keep your crown”

Who would have thought, when we were saying our goodbyes to 2019 and welcoming the New Year in, that roughly 2-3 months into 2020, the entire world would be battling one of the worst pandemics in recent history. And it feels like every month is out there to outdo the previous one.

shocked kimmy schmidt GIF by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

If you need a quick refresher of the events in chronological so far: just a few days into 2020, World War III was trending on Twitter after the Pentagon announced the killing of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani. Then Meghan Markle, flipped the scripted on her ‘happily ever after’ princess story, when alongside her husband Prince Harry they announced, against all expectations, that they were leaving their royals duties.

January ended on a very tragic note for basketball fans worldwide when legendary basketball player, Kobe Bryant died along his young daughter Gianna, in a helicopter crash. 🙁

A virus wreak havoc the entire globe and Mother Earth grounds us all

As if this wasn’t enough, on January 30, the World Health Organization declared that the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), which first appeared in the late 2019 in China, was fast spreading around the world and, consequently declared it as a pandemic.

From there you will swear we’ve been unknowingly casted in a bad sci-fi movie , you know those ones where a mad scientist virus take a life of its own and goes on a rampage to eliminate humans from the face of Earth?

Months later, countries like Italy, Spain and The United States have become the new epicenters of the virus. Today, more than 4 million of people are affected, 1.4 million have recovered and unfortunately more than 280 000 have died from the virus. As a result, most world governments have implemented social distancing measures (big buzz word of the moment) and half of humanity, is quarantined in their homes.

Patricia Yumba Facebook

In Africa, over 60 000 cases have been reported on the continent, with more than 9 000 recoveries and around 2000 deaths recorded (NB: Numbers change by the minute.). Yep, and we’re only into 4 months of 2020. 

As the world is going through unprecedented times, with the entire humanity facing the same public health challenge at the same time, while most of our outside world life has been cancelled, we are forced to dig deep within us and find the resources to keep us going through the bad times, re-evaluate our lifestyles, values and dreams. I encourage you all to look at the silver lining of this dark cloud, use this time to reflect, indulge in proper self-care , and cherish time with your loved ones while keeping safe and healthy.

Africa Day + Gig Guide + Important Dates

Here are some important dates and things to look out for in May:

10 May Mother’s Day : time to celebrate mothers and mothers figures in our lives

12 May International Nurses Day : They are the unsung heroes of public health care, especially during this pandemic. Furthermore 2020 was designated as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by the World Health Organization in recognition of the contributions they make, and the risks associated with nursing shortages.

25 May let’s all celebrate Africa Day

Coming up on the blog : do not miss my post about all the fun stuffs happening (virtually of course) in the world right now in a new feature called HON Weekly, a love letter from Ghana.

Xx, PYM

Let’s get social, let’s connect!

Website:    http://houseofnzinga.com/

Facebook page : https://web.facebook.com/houseofnzinga/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabulous_trysh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house_of_Nzinga/ 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/houseofnzinga

Portfolio : linktr.ee/PatriciaYumbaM

5 lessons from my blogging struggles (Fall seven times, get up eight !)

christina-wocintechchat-com-4U1VXdNso8w-unsplash (1)

If you’ve ever stopped on my blog, you might have read that few years ago, I was in a stage in my life where I needed an outlet to express myself, reflect on some issues that affects me and possibly connect and network with other people. And that it really took me few years to execute my vision. However, despite my strong passion for blogging and sharing ideas with the world, last year I realized how difficult it is to stay committed and put out consistently content. I can’t believe my last post here was in March. A whole full year. Where did the time go?

So, here are 5 lessons I have learned over the past year:

(more…)

1 2 3

css.php