Social Echoes Beyond Prison Walls: A Call for Global Solidarity with Djeukam Tchameni Imagine being imprisoned for your political beliefs, for challenging those in power, for organizing against the status quo, for speaking out against corruption. By The Rising Firefly • 2 min read
Social TOGO-AES Sahel 2026-2028 Alliance: African Solidarity in the Face of Asymmetrical Warfare by Zefihapi Dematepia Togo launched a revolutionary initiative on April 18th, 2026, in its economic capital, Lomé, by holding a strategic summit with the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) of Burkina, Niger, and Mali. These AES countries officially exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2025 to By The Rising Firefly • 14 min read
Cultural A Day of Mourning: The King of the Gulmu People by Firefly Productions Staff The Government of Burkina Faso announced today the untimely passing of His Highness Numbado (King) Untaamba, the beloved paramount King and traditional ruler of the Gulmu Kingdom. Known for his unwavering dedication to the unification of the Gulmu people, who span Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, By The Rising Firefly • 2 min read
Social Rooted in Both Worlds: A Doula's Return to the West Side On Black Maternal Health, Ancestral Practice, and Building What Our Mothers Deserved By Zetanefert Zipewtu, Founder, Our Mothers' Light Birth & Baby Village On April 17th, I will walk back into a building that raised me. New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church sits on the West Side of Chicago, By The Rising Firefly • 6 min read
Social On NASA & The Space Race Opinion Piece By Kenibashu Saikaptah Two days ago, flicking my thumb against my programming device, I came across a video with a caption that read "Artemis II has officially launched. The first human mission to the moon since 1972..." Before the video finished, I was already reciting Gil By The Rising Firefly • 4 min read
Environmental Return to Nature: Unveiling the Hidden Truth Behind Modern Illness by Hatnima Shemzura Throughout history, colonial powers didn’t just invade with guns and swords — they invaded with miseducation. Before physically conquering African lands and other parts of the world, the invaders studied and imitated the natural and spiritual ways of a life they found. But instead of honoring what By The Rising Firefly • 3 min read
Indigenous Wisdom There is no action that ends: A personal reflection by Christine Packard I used to believe that my actions ended when the moment passed. If I spoke a harsh word, I assumed or hoped it dissolved into the air once silence returned. If I offered kindness, I imagined it complete when the smile faded. I lived as though my By The Rising Firefly • 3 min read
Indigenous Wisdom The Point by Mersau Khentimah Has anyone succeeded in preventing the winds from blowing? Has anyone succeeded in preventing the sun from rising or setting? As it will be so from silencing The Gods and Great Ancestors. The ambition of the modern world isn’t to silence nature, that is impossible, but By The Rising Firefly • 2 min read
Environmental The Farm and its teachings on Patience and Tolerance(Suru) by Keniwuru Merutepiaou Growing up in Merita, parents are encouraged to take their children to colonial school at a very young age. One of the distinct things that happens there is, children start being discouraged from agriculture. Subtly, we are taught that farming belongs to the very poor and we By The Rising Firefly • 7 min read
Indigenous Wisdom Mind-Altering Substances and the Spiritual Quest: Paths of Permission, Paths of Prohibition by Ameena Ahmed Throughout human history, spiritual communities have sought methods to thin the veil between the visible and invisible worlds. Some traditions have pursued this aim through ritual intoxication, others through prayer, fasting, breath, rhythm, and disciplined consciousness. The divergence between these approaches reveals not a single spiritual truth, By The Rising Firefly • 4 min read
Social A Travelers Goal by Zebekiya Merutepiaou What do you want to be when you grow up? Where do you want to live? How much money do you want to make? One could go on and on with elaborate, ambitious illusions. None of these is the actual goal in life for the seeker working By The Rising Firefly • 3 min read
Social The Dangers of Being Right By Bezsati Maheqwir Completed - SaMa’at Sometimes it's better to be wrong than to be right. Master NABA said a person who succeeds without failure or making mistakes along the way isn't a winner, and someone who may fall many times along the way isn' By The Rising Firefly • 4 min read
