Meet #QuramoWritersPrize 2019 Judge, Toni Kan
Toni Kan is a fellow of the Heinrich Boll writing fellowship (Germany); Civitella Ranieri Writing Fellowship (Italy) and Yaddo Writing Fellowship (USA).
He holds both M.A & B.A degrees in English Literature from the universities of Lagos and Jos respectively where he graduated top of his classes.
The author of ‘The Carnivorous City’, ‘Nights of the Creaking Bed’ & ‘When a Dream Lingers Too Long’, he is an award winning writer & author of over 10 books of poetry, fiction & biographies, to include Newton Jibunoh’s Hunger for Power, which he co-edited.
He is judge of the annual LABAF sponsored Ken Saro Wiwa critical review prize, was judge of the inaugural GTB Dusty Manuscript Prize & juror of this year’s LAIF advertising awards.
QWPWinner 2019 to be announced December 15. Make a date.
Eight Africans make it to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for 2020
December 3, 2019, Forbes released its ninth annual “30 Under 30” list.
Spread across 20 categories like finance, tech, law and art, it features 600 young entrepreneurs who are innovating their respective industries.
Below are some of the Africans who made the list.
Nigerian author Tomi Adeyemi is one of the Africans on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for 2020
Nigerian author Tomi Adeyemi is one of the Africans on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for 2020
The 2020 “30 Under 30” list is quite diverse. 48 percent of the featured people are either immigrants or first-generation citizens.
Some of these individuals have ties to Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Here are some of the Africans on this year’s list:
Introducing Derek Owusu, the first novelist on Stormzy’s Books
The author discusses his debut novel That Reminds Me, a searing exploration of childhood, identity, race, and mental health
Does our childhood inextricably shape the person we are today? It’s this question that sits as the crux of writer and poet’s Derek Owusu’s debut That Reminds Me, the first novel out on Stormzy’s publishing imprint, #Merky Books.
The book follows a young Ghanaian boy, known only as K, who is sent away from London to be adopted by white foster parents in Suffolk, only to return to the city at seven to parents he no longer recognises. Spanning themes of identity, family, and belonging, Owusu chronicles a true-to-life phenomenon known as farming, where West African families paid white families in the 1960s to temporarily foster their children privately outside of local authorities while they worked and studied. It’s something Owusu himself experienced first-hand, but stresses that the story isn’t autobiographical.
Source: dazedigiral.com
Drake, Post Malone, Eminem, Others lead Spotify 2019 most streamed music list
Spotify, the global music audio streaming service, each year unpacks the listening habits of users and unveils the artists and trends shaping the industry with its ‘Wrapped’ campaign. The data revealed the increasingly important role that podcasts are clearly taking in the business.
On Thursday 5 December, Spotify summed up the listening habits of some 248 million listeners. For 2019, Post Malone (6.5bn streams) was the most-streamed artist, followed by Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande. For the decade, Bohemian Rhapsody was the most popular album. Drake was most popular artist with 28bn streams, followed by Post Malone, Ariana Grande and Eminem.
Source: The drum.com
UBA’s REDTV shuts down Lagos as over 25,000 Youths Attend Its Annual Rave
REDTV, the online lifestyle network powered by the United Bank for Africa Group, held its annual Rave on Saturday, November 30 to officially kick-off the ‘Dirty December’ season.
Over 25,000 guests attended this year’s event which was held in Lagos and true to its theme, ‘The shutdown’, the rave was the talk of the entire town this past Saturday.
REDTV hosted the creative industry and other guests to an unforgettable night with top business executives, entrepreneurs, celebrities and A- Listers, entertainers, fashionistas and many young people just wanting to have a fun evening.
UBA Group chairman, Tony Elumelu and the CEO, Kennedy Uzoka, were seen mingling with guests and having a relaxed night away from the rigours of work.
The REDTV rave, which has become the annual Christmas season opener to rival, started with a hot performance by Ajebutter 22, BOJ, SDC and TEMS. Upcoming artist, Fireboy, came in and brought guests to their feet with his hot and fresh releases.
The crowd was not disappointed and remained energised when Olamide jumped on stage to shake the venue with his famous songs that had everyone screaming and jumping for joy. International act, Jidenna thrilled the rave fans, just as Burna Boy sauntered in and brought the audience to a standstill at a party that lasted till the early hours of the following day.
UBA ambassador, the star boy, Wizkid had come into the party to the absolute delight of guests who saw him walking in. He mingled with guests for hours and then gave a surprise performance on stage that took the rave to another level.
DJ Consequence, Sparrow and hypemen Shody and Tosan also took turns to entertain the excited youths throughout the night of thrills.
REDTV’s stars of The Men’s Club, Boutique Hotel, Our Best Friend’s Wedding, Red Hot Topics and Inspector K were amongst the guests that featured prominently at REDTV’s night to remember.
The Executive Producer of REDTV, Bola Atta, who spoke at the rave, talked about how the team had put together a stellar event that showcased outstanding performances by some of Africa’s greatest musicians. She said, “It was indeed ‘The Shutdown’, as we surpassed the expectations of our guests. For us, it wasn’t just about organising a party. REDTV is fully in support of the creative industry and through its shows, has been developing new talents behind the scenes as well as on the screens. We wanted to celebrate all those who are making REDTV a success. So we decided to throw a free concert to say thank you and to wish everyone well as the year comes to an end’.
REDTV provided plenty to eat and drink and participants at the event agreed that as always, REDTV has put together the biggest party in Lagos which continued to trend for days after the event was over.
REDTV is a fast paced lifestyle channel that a Aims to project Africa on the global stage. Proudly powered by the United Bank for Africa, the network is an entertainment platfoKindly find link of highlights of the event.
Eddie Murphy Honored With Career Achievement Award at the Celebration of Black Cinema
The ‘Dolemite Is My Name’ star was recognized for his outstanding body of work by the Critics Choice Association.
Dolemite Is My Name star Eddie Murphy was honored Monday night at the Celebration of Black Cinema, which feted more than 100 years of black cinema and honored the achievements of 2019. The event was presented by the Critics Choice Association at the Landmark Annex in Los Angeles.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs hosted the star-studded evening, which included honorees Chiwetel Ejiofor, who was introduced by Don Cheadle; Harriet director Kasi Lemmons; and actress Nia Long, plus guests Wesley Snipes, Kendrick Sampson, Larry Karaszewski, Sydell Noel and Lonnie Chavis, among others.
Visions of the Black Experience brings inaugural, free film festival to Sarasota
The festival featuring films centered around black life takes place Thursday through Saturday at New College of Florida
Visions of the Black Experience: Thursday-Saturday; Harry Sudakoff Conference Center, 5845 General Dougher Place, Sarasota; free, but tickets required; visionsoftheblackexperience.com
A film festival centered around black life will make its debut this week in Sarasota, featuring three days of free movie screenings, including one world premiere.
The inaugural Visions of the Black Experience takes place Thursday through Saturday at New College of Florida’s Harry Sudakoff Conference Center. The festival is a collaboration between several organizations including New College, Sarasota Film Festival and the Boxser Diversity Initiative.
The festival kicks off Thursday with the world premiere of “No Lye: An American Beauty Story,” a documentary about the black-owned ethnic beauty industry. Three other documentaries will be screened along with “Something the Lord Made,” the Emmy-winning 2004 drama starring Mos Def as black surgical pioneer Vivien Thomas.
New College assistant professor of sociology Queen Meccasia Zabriskie said the festival organizers wanted to focus on films dealing with health and wellness. They were also interested in movies that challenge stereotypes about what the black experience is.
Read more.
Megan Thee Stallion Ranks As 2019’s Buzziest Breakthrough Artist
Megan Thee Stallion needs a moment. “I’m going from coast to coast, and it’s cold some places and hot some places,” she says after letting loose a wracking cough. “It’s really messing with me.” She’s calling from Indianapolis but soon will head to her hometown of Houston to perform at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival. “We’re somewhere every day.”
Over the past year, the no-holds-barred rapper has been booked and busy. Since releasing her breakthrough “Tina Snow” EP in June 2018, the 24-year-old has become one of hip-hop’s buzziest figures on the back of hits like “Big Ole Freak” and “Cash S—” (featuring DaBaby). After a bidding war that resulted in her becoming the first female rapper to sign with 300 Entertainment last November, she released her first full-length project, “Fever,” and proved to be a branding mastermind after she coined the term Hot Girl Summer on Twitter and, once it became a meme, spun it into her biggest smash to date.
Source/ photo credit: COURAGE OSADOLOR/2020 PHOTOGRAPHY
Bob Marley’s Widow Rita Marley Gets Ghana Citizenship
Rita Marley is now officially a citizen of the West African country of Ghana.
The wife of reggae legend Bob Marley was honored with the Ghanaian citizenship by President Nana Akufo-Addo last week Wednesday, according to Pulse. She was one of 126 Africans who were bestowed with the new status. Rita Marley has been aiding Ghana in different areas for over 10 years. She is involved in projects that enhance the educational system through her Rita Marley Foundation. This includes scholarships and refurbishing and constructing new school buildings.
Writers’ groups in Africa are disrupting the system & reshaping the region’s literary canon
For years, there has been debate over which African stories are presented on the world stage, who is awarded, and who is in charge of the prizes.
Writers’ groups in Africa are disrupting the system and reshaping the region’s literary canon
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story Jumping ‘Monkey Hill’ offers a critique of the power structures that dictate outcomes of literary awards. | Stephane De Sakutin / AFP
Literary prizes do more than offer recognition and cash to writers and help readers decide what book to choose. They shape the literary canon, a country’s body of highly regarded writing. They help shape what the future classics might be.
But what if Africa’s biggest prizes are awarded by foreign territories, former colonial masters? Or what if African-born writers in the diaspora are routinely chosen as winners over writers living and working in Africa?
INTRODUCING QUEEN MOREMI THE MUSICAL
The 12th-century time frame of a Nigerian folklore and traditional tales cannot be told without mentioning a brave and selfless woman whose verge to save her people at all cost was her paramount quest in life. Born in Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of the Yoruba land, firmly seated in the southern-west of Nigeria, Moremi is a heroic figure whose story is worth to be told then, now and for centuries to come.
Born to a powerful hunter Lukugga in Ife, Moremi married the then Ooni of Ife (Oranmiyan) making her a queen who eventually offered herself to be captured by the Ugbo (not related to Igbo) tribe who were constant raiders of Ile-Ife. With her wit and beauty she was able to enchant the king of the Ugbo tribe to become his queen to gather all of the information needed before returning to Ile-Ife to strategize, an advantage that led to Ile-Ife’s victory over the Ugbo Tribe – a price that could only be paid by a rare soul.
Worth to be retold in the 21st century, the tale of this brave queen is being re-enacted and witnessed yet again in the modern city of Lagos, a capital and industrial frontier of the Yoruba land. Having being told in a theatrical visualization on stage last December and Easter season, with a richly seasoned cast of notable Nigerian actors like Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Bimbo Manuel, Tosin Akinyemi, Deyemi Okanlawon, Lala Akindoju, Femi Branch, Kehinde Bankole and a host of others, Moremi is now set to be told and viewed again in a much detailed and historically-inclined perspective – a stage play that promises to be an aesthetic show of theatrical brilliance and musical excellence.
