SKY IS BLACK - Episode #74
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
ON THIS EPISODE:
Why Nigerians may be the greatest people on earth - what the evidence has to say. | A debate regarding the best new African AI tech. | A celebration of the American Black film festival, along with future Black content we hope to speak into existence. | What books we’re reading and the books we’re most excited about. | Why Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is issuing an historic IPO, and how he is paving the way, literally, for a new African renaissance.
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This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
SHOUT OUTS
B. Francis Clark
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Phonse Rodney | Festival Attendee
Afrolatino Festival NYC
OUR "UNSTOPPABLE" NIGERIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
A Partial List of Random World Records Held by Nigerians. What "AI" Has to Say:
Sanusi Kazeem: Longest mathematics lesson (31 hours and 42 minutes).
Tunde Onakoya: Longest chess marathon (64 hours).
Adetunji Adeyemi: Longest marathon reading aloud by an individual.
Adetunwase Adenle: Most children reading aloud with an adult.
School of Eloquence: Longest speech marathon (team record).
Dafinone Family: Most chartered accountants in a single nuclear family (34).
Peter Adeleke: Longest leadership lesson (28 hours and 45 minutes).
Oluwaseyi Anifowose: Largest gathering of teachers.
FaddotheGreat: Longest magic show by an individual (50 hours).
Sandra Ikeji: Most bridesmaids in a single wedding (200).
Anita Natacha Akide (Tacha): Most cosmetic makeovers in 24 hours (144).
Helen Williams: Longest handmade wig (351.28 meters).
Ololade Ayelabola: Longest distance walked on a catwalk by a model (125.11 km).
Chidera Anamege: Longest freestyle rap marathon (9 hours).
Suyin Haynes
Joshua Olusanya: Longest marathon playing the trumpet (25 hours and 30 minutes).
Joshua Babatunde Aiyenuro: Longest professional hairdressing marathon (72 hours).
Mighty George (George Essien): Longest marathon hosting a radio talk show (105 hours).
Fela Kuti: Most albums recorded as a solo artist (46).
DJ Obi: Longest DJ set (240 hours).
DJ Yin: Longest DJ set by a female (200 hours).
Jason Joshua Usoro: Longest dance marathon relay (53 hours and 28 minutes).
Kaffy: Longest dance party (55 hours and 40 minutes).
Fola David-Tolaram: Largest drawing by an individual (1,004.7 square meters).
Abidemi Praise: Longest marathon drawing portraits by an individual (90 hours).
Chancellor Ahaghotu: Longest painting marathon (100 hours).
Adetunwase Adenle: Largest painting by numbers.
Adetunwase Adenle: Largest post-it note mosaic.
Bayo Omoboriowo: Largest photo book (60.84 square meters).
Hilda Baci: Longest cooking marathon by an individual (93 hours and 11 minutes).
Hilda Baci: Largest serving of Nigerian-style jollof rice (8,780 kg).
Philip Solomon: Most skips on one foot in 30 seconds (153).
Harrison Chinedu: Longest distance walking with a football balanced on the head.
Harrison Chinedu: Longest distance walking on top of a moving vehicle with a football on the head.
Chinonso Eche: Most consecutive football touches in one minute while balancing a ball on the head (111).
Tonye Solomon: Most steps climbed on a ladder while balancing a football on the head.
Tonye Solomon: Climbing a 250-foot radio mast with a football balanced on the head (12 minutes).
Ibitoye Kingfahd: Most skips in a specialized technical rope skipping category.
Chinonso Eche: Fastest time to 1,000 football touches while balancing a ball on the head (7 minutes and 46 seconds).
Chinonso Eche: Most football headers in a prone position in one minute (223).
Chinonso Eche: Most football touches in a seated position while balancing a ball on the head.
Haruna Abdulazeez: Most tennis ball hits with a racket handle in one minute (103).
Haruna Abdulazeez: Most tennis ball hits with a racket handle in thirty seconds.
Vincent Okezie: Most football 'around the world' tricks with arms linked (71).
Vincent Okezie: Most consecutive backward handsprings with a football between the legs.
Victor Richard Kipo: Most consecutive passes of a football between the head and soles as a team of two (252).
Chukwuebuka Ezugha: Most football touches with the abdomen in one minute (152).
Chukwuebuka Ezugha: Most contortion arm passes while balancing a football on the head.
Segun Toriola: Most Olympic appearances by an African athlete (7).
Tuedon Morgan: Fastest time to run a half marathon on each of the seven continents and the North Pole.
Faith Olayinka: Longest marathon of watching films.
Famous Isaacs: Pursuing the record for the longest documentary film ever made (2026).
Ben Norton
African Firsts Achieved by Nigerians. What "AI" Has to Say:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first African to serve as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
Wole Soyinka was the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Hakeem Olajuwon was the first African player to be drafted number one overall in the NBA.
Chioma Ajunwa was the first African woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in any track and field event.
Tobi Amusan became the first African to set a world record in an athletics hurdles event with her twelve point one two second performance.
Dr. Bennet Omalu was the first African to discover and publish clinical evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in professional athletes.
Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye was the first African to lead a surgical team in removing a fetus from the womb for life-saving surgery and successfully returning it to complete gestation.
Agbani Darego was the first Black African to be crowned Miss World.
Dele Olojede was the first African journalist to win the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.
Taslim Olawale Elias was the first African to serve as the President of the International Court of Justice.
Philip Emeagwali was the first African to win the Gordon Bell Prize for supercomputing and parallel processing.
Dr. Wendy Okolo was the first Black African woman to earn a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and serve as a researcher at NASA Ames.
Adebayo Ogunlesi was the first African to lead a global investment firm in the total acquisition and ownership of a major United Kingdom airport.
Mitchell Elegbe founded Interswitch, which became the first African-founded fintech company to achieve unicorn status.
Aliko Dangote was the first African to build and own the world's largest single-train oil refinery.
Kamaru Usman became the first African-born fighter to win a UFC World Championship title.
Hakeem Olajuwon was the first African to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award.
Wellington Jighere was the first African to win the World Scrabble Championship.
Onome Ebi was the first African footballer, male or female, to compete in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Segun Toriola was the first African athlete to compete in seven different Olympic Games.
Asisat Oshoala was the first African woman to win the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Asisat Oshoala became the first African player to score in a UEFA Champions League Final.
Asisat Oshoala was the first African to win the African Women’s Player of the Year award six times.
Tunde Onakoya set the world record for the longest chess marathon, becoming the first African to hold this global endurance title.
Hilda Baci was the first African to hold the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual.
Helen Williams became the first African to set the world record for the longest handmade wig ever created.
Fola David-Tolaram was the first African to hold the world record for the largest drawing created by a single individual.
The Nigerian Women’s Bobsled Team was the first African team to qualify for the Winter Olympics in the bobsled category.
Seun Adigun was the first African to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games as a sprinter and bobsledder.
Olugbenga Agboola was the first African to lead a payment technology startup to a three-billion-dollar valuation with Flutterwave.
Tope Awotona founded Calendly, becoming the first African-born entrepreneur to dominate the global scheduling software market.
Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi achieved the first major African tech exit to a global giant with the acquisition of Paystack by Stripe.
Oshiorenoya Agabi was the first African to develop a neuro-computer chip that integrates live biological neurons with silicon.
Dr. Olurotimi Badero is the first and only African to be triple-board certified in both cardiology and nephrology globally.
Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu was the first African to serve as the lead principal investigator for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.
Dr. Silas Adekunle was the first African to develop a mass-market gaming robot and secure an exclusive distribution deal with Apple.
Aruna Quadri was the first African to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympic Table Tennis tournament.
Aruna Quadri was the first African to be ranked in the top ten of the International Table Tennis Federation world rankings.
Wizkid became the first African artist to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead or featured performer.
Burna Boy was the first African artist to win a Grammy for a solo project in the Best Global Music Album category.
Tems was the first African female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rema was the first African artist to achieve one billion streams for a single song on the Spotify platform.
Tiwa Savage was the first African woman to win the Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
Mo Abudu was the first African woman to own and operate a pan-African television channel.
Genevieve Nnaji was the first African director to have a film acquired as a Netflix Original.
Funke Akindele became the first African filmmaker to gross over one billion Naira with a single feature film at the box office.
Cynthia Erivo was the first African-descended actress to be nominated for two Academy Awards in a single year for both acting and song.
Uzo Aduba was the first actress to win Emmy Awards in both the drama and comedy categories for portraying the same character.
Chiwetel Ejiofor was the first Nigerian-British actor to win the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
John Boyega was the first Nigerian-British actor to lead a global Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim was the first African actor to join the cast of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
Sophie Okonedo was the first Nigerian-British actress to win a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Nnedi Okorafor was the first African to win the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
Teju Cole was the first African to win the Internationaler Literaturpreis in Germany.
Nike Davies-Okundaye was the first African woman to own the largest private traditional art gallery on the continent.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby was the first African contemporary artist to have works sell for over three million dollars at international auctions.
Victor Ekpuk was the first African artist to modernize the ancient Nsibidi script for major museum commissions and architecture.
Lola Shoneyin was the first African to organize a major international book festival that integrated the continent’s literary and artistic traditions.
Olamide was the first African rapper to sign a major global joint-venture distribution deal with Empire.
Phyno was the first African artist to achieve global mainstream recognition for rap performed primarily in the Igbo language.
Mr Eazi was the first African artist to popularize the Banku Music sound and establish a multi-million dollar fund for independent creators.
Finidi George was the first African to win the UEFA Champions League in the modern era with Ajax.
Daniel Amokachi was the first African to score a goal in the modern format of the UEFA Champions League.
Victor Osimhen was the first African to win the Serie A Golden Boot as the top scorer in the Italian top flight.
Israel Adesanya was the first African to win the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Dick Tiger was the first African to hold both the World Middleweight and Light Heavyweight boxing titles simultaneously.
Hogan 'Kid' Bassey was the first African to become a World Boxing Champion in the featherweight division.
Samuel Peter was the first African to hold the WBC Heavyweight title.
Segun Toriola was the first African athlete to win four consecutive gold medals in table tennis at the African Games.
Olufunke Oshonaike was the first African woman to compete in seven Olympic Games.
Christian Okoye was the first African to lead the NFL in rushing yards during a single professional season.
Amobi Okoye was the youngest person from Africa to ever be drafted into the NFL at age nineteen.
Osi Umenyiora was the first African-born player to win two Super Bowl championship rings.
Efe Ajagba was the first African boxer to hold the world record for the fastest knockout in professional history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first African-Greek player to win the NBA Finals MVP award.
Innocent Egbunike was the first African to set a 400m record that stood as the fastest time on the continent for over a decade.
Ese Brume was the first African woman to hold the long jump record at over seven meters in the modern era.
Bose Omolayo was the first African to set multiple world records in para-powerlifting in the 79kg category.
Folashade Oluwafemiayo was the first African woman to set a Paralympic world record in the 86kg powerlifting class.
Lucy Ejike was the first African to win gold medals at three consecutive Paralympic Games in powerlifting.
Lauritta Onye was the first African to set a world record in the Paralympic Shot Put event for the F40 class.
Flora Ugwunwa was the first African to set a world record in the F54 classification for Javelin.
Yakubu Adesokan was the first African to lift more than four times his own body weight in a sanctioned powerlifting competition.
Mudashiru Lawal was the first African player to attend five consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Obafemi Martins was the first African to win major domestic cup trophies in England, Germany, and Italy.
Peter Aho set the record for the best bowling figures in a T20 International for any African player.
Sunday Oliseh was the first African to score a thirty-yard winning goal against a former world champion in a World Cup.
Taribo West was the first African defender to play for both Inter Milan and AC Milan.
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji was the first African to co-found two different billion-dollar tech companies on the continent.
Jason Njoku was the first African to build a global video-on-demand platform specifically for Nollywood and indigenous content.
Sim Shagaya founded Konga, which was the first major e-commerce platform in West Africa to reach unicorn status.
Odunayo Eweniyi co-founded the first automated savings and investment platform to gain mass adoption in West Africa.
Eloho Omame co-founded the first investment fund in Africa dedicated specifically to female-led technology startups.
Innocent Chukwuma founded Innoson, the first fully indigenous car manufacturing plant in Africa.
Cosmas Maduka grew the first indigenous automotive franchise to distribute and partner with multiple global luxury brands.
Ibukun Awosika was the first woman to chair the Board of Directors of the oldest commercial bank in Nigeria.
Ladi Delano was the first African to build a billion-dollar beverage and logistics venture in the Asian market.
Sowemimo Abiodun launched the first cloud-based ecosystem for financial inclusion targeting African small businesses.
Taofik Adegbite was the first African to provide high-level marine and subsea platforms to international oil firms.
Chancellor Ahaghotu was the first African to set a world record for the longest painting marathon.
Gbenga Ezekiel was the first African to set the world record for the most skips on one leg in sixty seconds.
The Dafinone family entered the world records for having the highest number of chartered accountants in one nuclear family in Africa.
Tuedon Morgan was the first African woman to complete the World Marathon Challenge across seven continents in seven days.
DJ Yin was the first African woman to break the world record for the longest DJ set.
Jason Joshua Usoro was the first African to lead a relay team to a world-recognized dance endurance record.
Sandra Ikeji was the first African to hold the world record for having the most bridesmaids in a single ceremony.
Haruna Abdulazeez was the first African to set a technical world record using a tennis racket and handle.
Vincent Okezie was the first African to combine professional gymnastics with football freestyle for a world record.
Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke was the first African child artist to be recognized with a global award for large-scale abstract painting.
Anita Natacha Akide was the first African to hold a world record for the most cosmetic makeovers in twenty-four hours.
Joshua Babatunde Aiyenuro was the first African to set a world record for the longest hairdressing marathon.
Chidinma Modupe Okafor was the first African to hold the world record for the longest marathon of crocheting.
Joshua Olusanya was the first African to set a record for the longest marathon of playing a brass instrument.
Favour Ogechi Ani was the first African to set a world record for the longest time spent counting out loud.
Peter Adeleke was the first African to set the world record for the longest continuous leadership lecture.
Ololade Ayelabola was the first African model to set a record for catwalk endurance.
Tonye Solomon was the first African to set a world record for climbing steps while balancing a ball on his head.
Chukwuebuka Ezugha was the first African to set a world record for abdominal football touches.
Philip Solomon was the first African to set the world record for the most skips on one foot in thirty seconds.
Adetunji Adeyemi was the first African to set the world record for the most books read aloud during a marathon.
Faith Olayinka was the first African to set the world record for the longest marathon of watching films.
Suliyat Tella was the first African to set the world record for the longest marathon hosting a radio talk show.
Harrison Chinedu was the first African to set the world record for the longest distance walking with a ball balanced on his head.
Tobi Amusan was the first African to win an individual gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships.
Mary Onyali was the first African woman to compete in five different Olympic Games in sprinting.
Falilat Ogunkoya was the first African woman to be ranked number one in the world for the 400m sprint.
Sunday Bada was the first African to win a gold medal in the 400m at the World Indoor Championships.
Olusoji Fasuba was the first African to set a 100m record that remained the fastest on the continent for over ten years.
Yusuf Alli was the first African to win a gold medal in the long jump at the Commonwealth Games.
Modupe Oshikoya was the first African woman to win individual gold medals in multiple events at the Commonwealth Games.
Chidi Imoh was the first African to win an individual Olympic silver medal in the 100m sprint.
John Mikel Obi was the first African to win the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League with Chelsea.
Wilfred Ndidi was the first African to lead a top-five European league in tackles for three consecutive seasons.
Kelechi Iheanacho was the first African to hold the record for the most goals scored per minute in a Premier League season.
Alex Iwobi was the first African to score a goal in a major European final for a London-based club.
Samuel Chukwueze was the first African to be named man of the match in a major European semi-final against a former champion.
Ademola Lookman was the first African to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League final.
Victor Boniface was the first African to lead a Bundesliga club to an undefeated domestic season.
Desire Oparanozie was the first African woman to captain a top-flight club in the French first division.
Rita Chikwelu was the first African woman to win domestic honors in both the Finnish and Swedish top leagues.
Francisca Ordega was the first African woman to play in the top leagues of the United States, China, and Australia.
Cynthia Uwak was the first African woman to win the continental Player of the Year award twice.
Perpetua Nkwocha was the first African woman to win the continental Player of the Year award four times.
Kadiri Ikhana was the first African coach to lead a club to the CAF Champions League title.
Stephen Keshi was the first African to qualify two different nations for the FIFA World Cup.
Christian Chukwu was the first African to captain a national team to their first continental title in the 1980s.
Adokiye Amiesimaka was the first African to win a major continental trophy while actively practicing as a lawyer.
Emmanuel Amuneke was the first African to score the goal that secured the first Olympic Gold for the continent in football.
Dick Tiger was the first African boxer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Akinwande Henry Akinwande was the first African to win and defend the WBO Heavyweight title.
Olanrewaju Durodola was the first African to hold the WBC Silver Cruiserweight world title.
Nojim Maiyegun was the first African to win an individual Olympic medal in the nineteenth century.
David Izonritei was the first African to win a silver medal in boxing at the Olympic heavyweight level.
Richard Igbineghu was the first African to win a silver medal in the super heavyweight division of Olympic boxing.
Duncan Dokiwari was the first African to win an Olympic medal in the super heavyweight boxing category.
Anthony Joshua was the first African-descended boxer to win an Olympic gold and three unified world titles.
Lawrence Okolie was the first African-descended boxer to win the WBO Cruiserweight world title.
Festus Ezeli was the first African to win an NBA championship as a primary rotation player.
OG Anunoby was the first African-British player to win an NBA title in the modern era.
Al-Farouq Aminu was the first African to lead a national basketball team to their first AfroBasket title.
Chiney Ogwumike was the first African-descended player to be drafted top overall in the WNBA.
Nneka Ogwumike was the first African-descended player to win the WNBA MVP and the league title in the same year.
Udoka Azubuike was the first African to lead a major United States collegiate basketball league in field goal percentage.
Bam Adebayo was the first African-descended player to make multiple NBA All-Defensive First Teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first African-Greek to win consecutive NBA MVP awards.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo was the first African-Greek to win an NBA title alongside his brother.
Kostas Antetokounmpo was the first African-Greek to win an NBA title before his older brothers.
Jay Ajayi was the first African-born player to achieve three two hundred-yard rushing games in a single NFL season.
Nelson Agholor was the first African-born player to win a Super Bowl while leading his team in receptions.
Emmanuel Acho was the first African-descended media personality to win an Emmy for a major digital sports series.
Enoch Nwali was the first African to win the continental Scrabble title as a teenager.
Ibrahim Gambari was the first African to serve as the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the United Nations.
Zainab Ahmed was the first African woman to lead a major merger of national finance and budget ministries.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede was the first African to be named the head of several major global and regional financial exchanges.
Jim Ovia was the first African to be awarded a global lifetime achievement award for digital banking transformation.
Fola Adeola was the first African to serve as the chairman of a major international technology infrastructure company.
Kofoworola Ademola was the first African woman to obtain a degree from Oxford University.
Grace Alele-Williams was the first African woman to be appointed as a Vice-Chancellor of a federal university.
Zulu Sofola was the first African woman to be a Professor of Theater Arts.
Adetowun Ogunsheye was the first African woman to become a Professor of Library and Information Science.
Hajia Gambo Sawaba was the first African woman in the North to be a prominent political activist and campaigner.
Ladi Kwali was the first African woman to achieve global recognition for pottery and be featured on national currency.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby was the first African contemporary artist to win the MacArthur Genius Grant.
Sade Adu was the first African-descended artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Wizkid was the first African artist to sell out major global arenas for three consecutive nights.
Burna Boy was the first African artist to headline and sell out multiple stadiums in the United States.
Tems was the first African woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Rema was the first African artist to win a major award in the newly created Afrobeats category at the VMAs.
Sikiru Adepoju was the first African to win a Grammy for his mastery of traditional percussion in a global album.
Genevieve Nnaji was the first African to be featured on major global talk shows as a pioneer of the film industry.
John Mikel Obi was the first African to captain a national team to an Olympic medal in the twenty-first century.
Victor Ikpeba was the first African to win the continental Player of the Year award while leading a French club in scoring.
Mutiu Adepoju was the first African to lead multiple academies for a top-flight Spanish league on the continent.
Ike Uche was the first African to be the top scorer in two different professional divisions in Spain.
Uche Okechukwu was the first African defender to be named the best in the Turkish league for several seasons.
Peter Odemwingie was the first African to win three Premier League Player of the Month awards.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni was the first African to score nearly one hundred goals in the English top flight.
Efan Ekoku was the first African to score four goals in a single professional match in the English Premier League.
Dick Tiger was the first African boxer to be named the Fighter of the Year by major global publications.
Israel Adesanya was the first African to win a global performance bonus in five consecutive professional fights.
Kamaru Usman was the first African to reach a fifteen-fight unbeaten streak in the world's top MMA organization.
Michael Olowokandi was the first African to be the top overall pick in an NBA draft during the 1990s.
Jordan Nwora was the first African to win an NBA title while actively representing his national team in the Olympics.
Erika Ogwumike was the first African-descended player to graduate from medical school while being a top WNBA draft pick.
Josh Okogie was the first African to be a consistent starter in the NBA's Western Conference in the late 2010s.
Precious Achiuwa was the first African to be a top-ten selection in several recent professional basketball drafts.
Bam Adebayo was the first African-descended player to win an Olympic gold medal in basketball.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the first African-Greek to record a triple-double in an NBA Finals clincher.
Wale was the first African-descended rapper to have multiple albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
Chamillionaire was the first African-descended rapper to become a primary technology investor in major Silicon Valley startups.
Jidenna was the first African artist to popularize high-fashion dandyism combined with modern Afrobeats globally.
Aliko Dangote's investments in Ethiopia.
ZeroBionic
John & Michelle Bryant30 years in love
