Media Room Hub Hosts Ovation Magazine Publisher, Dele Momodu As He Clocks 60
Entertainment and lifestyle platform, Media Room hub will host Ovation Magazine publisher Dele Momodu this Thursday.
Veteran publisher of Africa’s foremost event magazine, Dele Momodu recently turned 60.
The ace publisher has been instrumental in documenting the biggest events in and around Africa long before social media engagement became a way to experience the lives of society’s most influential patrons.
On Thursday the 21 of May 2020 in an Instagram live session, CEO of Media Room Hub, Azuka Ogujiuba, will engage Dele Momodu in conversion on his journey and the lessons learnt over the years.
To tune into the live session, follow media Room hub on Instagram at @mediaroomhub_
Shortlist for 2020 AKO Caine Prize Announced.
Shortlist for 2020 AKO Caine Prize showcases huge diversity in the writing of African lives
THE 2020 AKO CAINE PRIZE SHORTLISTED STORIES ARE WRITTEN IN HUMOROUS, TRAGIC AND SATIRICAL TONES.
The shortlist for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced, featuring five stories that “speak eloquently to the human condition” through a diverse array of themes and genres. This year’s shortlist was determined virtually by the judging panel.
The shortlisted authors for this year’s Prize are from Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania.
The Chair of judges, Director of The Africa Centre, Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp CBE, said: “We were energised by the enormous breadth and diversity of the stories we were presented with – all of which collectively did much to challenge the notion of the African and diaspora experience, and its portrayal in fiction, as being one homogeneous whole.
“These brilliant and surprising stories are beautifully crafted, yet they are all completely different from one another. From satire and biting humour, to fiction based on non-fiction, with themes spanning political shenanigans, outcast communities, superstition and social status, loss, and enduring love. Each of these shortlisted stories speak eloquently to the human condition, and to what it is to be an African, or person of African descent, at the start of the second decade of the 21st century.
“Together, this year’s shortlisted stories signal that African literature is in robust health, and, as demonstrated by the titles alone, never predictable.”
The shortlisted writers for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize are:
· Erica Sugo Anyadike (Tanzania) for ‘How to Marry An African President’ published in adda: Commonwealth Stories (2019)
· Chikodili Emelumadu (Nigeria & UK) for ‘What to do when your child brings home a Mami Wata’ published in The Shadow Booth: Vol.2 (2018)
· Jowhor Ile (Nigeria) for ‘Fisherman’s Stew’, published in The Sewanee Review (2019)
· Rémy Ngamije (Rwanda & Namibia) for ‘The Neighbourhood Watch’, published in The Johannesburg Review of Books (2019)
· Irenosen Okojie (Nigeria & UK) for ‘Grace Jones’ from “Nudibranch”, published by Hachette (2019)
Joining Kenneth Olumuyiwa Tharp on the 2020 judging panel are Audrey Brown, South African broadcast journalist; Gabriel Gbadamosi, Irish-Nigerian poet and playwright; Ebissé Wakjira-Rouw, Ethiopian-born nonfiction editor and policy adviser at the Dutch Council for Culture in the Netherlands, and James Murua, Kenyan based journalist, blogger, podcaster and editor.
The AKO Caine Prize has had to postpone this year’s annual award ceremony, and hopes to announce the winner of this year’s £10,000 prize in the autumn. The safety of our authors, staff, guests and partners remains a priority, and the Prize will continue to closely monitor the latest government guidelines. Each shortlisted writer will also receive £500.
The shortlisted stories will be published in an anthology, and also through co-publishers in 16 African countries who receive a print-ready PDF free of charge.
Read the shortlisted stories here:
http://caineprize.com/press-releases?rq=press%20releases%20
Chimamanda Adichie Becomes First Black Female Penn Commencement Speaker Since 1978
After Tuesday’s announcement that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will deliver the 2020 commencement address, Penn students expressed excitement and praised the selection for adding diversity to the graduation ceremony.
Adichie will be the first Black woman to deliver the address since 1978, when then-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Patricia Harris gave the speech. Many students said they were familiar with Adichie’s previous works and praised her speeches and books.
College and Wharton senior Maria Curry said that she was excited to see Penn select a Black female speaker for the first time in decades. Curry said that Adichie’s status as an author adds variety to Penn’s past commencement speakers, which featured politicians such as Cory Booker and entertainers such as John Legend and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Adichie is known for her critically-acclaimed works such as “Purple Hibiscus” — which won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in 2004 and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 2005 — and “Half of a Yellow Sun,” which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction) in 2007.
Her novel “Americanah” won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2013, and The New York Times also named the book one of its Top Ten Best Books of 2013.
Undergraduate Assembly President and College senior Natasha Menon said that she is also looking forward to Adichie’s address. Menon praised Adichie’s 2009 TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” which she recalls seeing in high school. The talk focuses on the perils of reducing complex people and situations to one-dimensional stories.
“The way she’s able to tell stories and talk about really pressing issues is pretty extraordinary,” Menon said.
College senior Jordan Andrews said she was pleased with the decision last year to invite Bryan Stevenson to deliver the 2019 commencement address. Stevenson is a criminal justice advocate who has won several Supreme Court cases for criminal justice reform. Andrews attended last year’s address and said she is looking forward to Adichie’s speech.
Adichie has previously delivered commencement addresses at Wellesley College in 2015 and American University in 2019.
Wharton senior Nicole Ksendzovskaya added that students are lucky to have Adichie as the commencement speaker.
College senior Nyazia Sajdah-Bey echoed Curry’s excitement. Sajdah-Bey said she first heard of Adichie when she read “Americanah” in high school and became more familiar with Adichie through TED Talks and Beyonce’s song “***Flawless,” which featured a sample of her 2012 TED Talk “We should all be feminists.”
“I’m really happy to be graduating on the day of her speech,” Sajdah-Bey said.
Uche Jombo’s New Series “Dr Love” To Premiere on ROK Studios Platform.
Nollywood actress, Uche Jombo has been posting snippets and behind the scenes of her upcoming series titled, “Dr Love“, which will premiere exclusively on Rok Studios’ streaming platforms.
Written by Joy Isi Bewaji, “Dr Love” follows the adventures of a psychologist who helps couples mend their relationships. It stars Uche Jombo, Nkechi Blessing, Lilian Afegbai, Chamberlyne Okoro, Steve Chuks, Uche Mac-Auley, Kiki Omeili, Kalu Ikeagwu, Jide Oyegbile, Ifeoma Obinwa, Bobby Obodo, among others.
Eddy Kenzo Joins List Of YouTube Gold Creator Award Recipients.
Kenzo, who is best known for his 2014 song ‘Sitya Loss’, is one of the few musicians from East Africa who have surpassed the impressive milestone. Others include Diamond Platnumz, Rayvanny and Harmonize, who all hail from Tanzania.
Kenzo celebrated 10 years in the music industry with a sold-out concert in October 2019. His success can be attributed to continental collaborations with artists from Ivory Coast, Tanzania and South Africa, as well as a string of awards and sold-out events across Africa.
Some of his recent success includes winning the Favourite African Star Award at the 2018 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, and becoming the first Ugandan to perform at Afro Nation Festival alongside Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido and Olamide. In 2017 and 2018 he was named a tourism ambassador in Kenya and Uganda, respectively.
Kenzo is also among the few East African artists successfully incorporating political activism into his music. In 2019 he released ‘System Volongoto’ and ‘Mbakooye’, which criticise the political system in Uganda.
YouTube recognises channels on its platform with the Silver Play Button (100 000 subscribers), Gold Play Button (1 million subscribers), Diamond Play Button (10 million subscribers), Custom Creator Button (50 million subscribers) and Red Diamond Creator Button (100 million subscribers).
Idris Elba to host Africa Day virtual Benefit Concert.
Hollywood leading man Idris Elba is set to host a virtually produced Africa Day benefit concert to air on local television and across the world next Monday. The Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom actor, who recently recovered from Covid-19 after testing positive in March, will headline The Africa Day Benefit Concert At Home.
The event aims to raise awareness in support of health and food needs of children and families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic on the African continent.
The star-studded musician line-up curated for the benefit concert features South African artists Sho Madjozi, AKA and Nasty C. Nigerian music stars Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade and Teni will also perform. Legendary Grammy-winning singer Angelique Kidjo, StoneBwoy from Ghana, Tanzanian musician Diamond Platnumz, Congolese star Fally Ipupa and Kenyan Afro-pop group Sauti Sol complete the line-up.
“Taking a moment to shine a light on African arts to benefit the African homeland and its people,” Elba said. “A continent of this size should find a way to dig deep and stand up for one another at a time like this. It’s important for the future and history will not forget,” he said.
The two-hour special will be streamed and broadcast around the globe on MTV channels and the MTV Base Africa YouTube channel.
“Music is a powerful tool that connects Africans and this Africa Day concert is a great way to bring people together and support a great cause,” said Alex Okosi, managing director of Emerging Markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at YouTube.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of millions across the continent and is going to require a massive collaborative effort if we are to make it through,” added Monde Twala, senior vice-president for ViacomCBS Networks Africa.
Text excluding title courtesy Sowetan Live
