Burna Boy pulls out of Afropunk
Nigerian star Burna Boy has once again cancelled a performance in South Africa, having criticised the country’s handling of attacks against black foreigners back in September.
Afropunk announced the “joint decision” for Burna Boy to pull out of the line-up for this month’s event in Johannesburg.
It follows the star’s decision to pull out of a series of concerts called Africans Unite – at the time he had pledged to donate some of the proceeds to victims of xenophobic violence in South Africa.
“We’re dedicated to working with Burna Boy and his team for his return to South Africa when the climate is right. We are deeply committed to providing music lovers and fans a safe space for all to express themselves,” Afropunk said in a statement on Friday.
Source: BBC
AMVCA 2020: Femi Odugbemi returns as AMVCA head judge
Film director, Femi Odugbemi will return as the head judge of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2020.
Femi Odugbemi will be leading the panel of judges for the 2020 edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
Ahead of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award in 2020, director and film expert, Femi Odugbemi will return as the head judge.
The organisers, Africa Magic, announced in a recent statement weeks after the closure of entry submission for the 7th edition of the AMVCA.
This will be Odugbemi’s fourth outing as Head Judge of the AMVCAs, after Debbie Odutayo, who was formerly the Head Judge.
Speaking on his return as head judge of the AMVCAs, Femi Odugbemi says he’s delighted to contribute his wealth of experience to the awards ceremony once again.
Femi Odugbemi is one of Nigeria’s reputable filmmaker, who is also a member of the voting academy for the Oscars.
Femi Odugbemi is one of Nigeria’s reputable filmmaker, who is also a member of the voting academy for the Oscars.
“I am delighted to contribute once again to the AMVCA vision of celebrating the best films and filmmakers of Africa. It is heart-warming that previous winners of the AMVCA across the continent have become highly rated creative brands who are leading in the industry with excellent content and films. I am hopeful that we can continue the tradition of high integrity of these awards towards honouring achievement and best practices,” he said.
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Malaika, Zlatan, Mayorkun, others to ‘spar’ at boxing music festival
Fuji star, Sule Adekunle, better known as Malaika, will join other artistes such as Zlatan, Mayorkun, Oritsefemi, among others for a boxing music festival scheduled to hold later in the month at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
According to the organisers, Malaika was chosen to provide a wholly indigenous flavour to the musical offerings at the show. The artiste, who will be backed by a 23-piece band, recently returned from a playing tour of Canada.
In addition to the musical performances, the show will feature nine boxing bouts, including the high-profile World Boxing Federation Intercontinental heavyweight title bout between Nigeria’s Onoriode ‘Godzilla’ Ehwariame and Argentina’s Ariel ‘Chiquito’ Baracamonte. It will also stage two West African Boxing Union title bouts and the national super ‘bantamweight’ title duel.
The WABU lightweight title will see Nigeria’s Rilwan Oladosu defend his title against Ghana’s Ezekiel Anan, while Rilwan ‘Baby Face’ Babatunde will defend his WABU welterweight title against Ghana’s Sanitor Agbenyo. The vacant national super ‘bantamweight’ title will be contested between Opeyemi ‘Sense’ Adeyemi and Sadiq ‘Happy Boy’ Adeleke. Other big names on parade include Ridwan ‘Scorpion’ Oyekola and Cynthia ‘Bobby Girl’ Ogunsemilore, the fast-rising female boxer, who will feature in the event’s only all-female bout.
Source: punch.com
Books to help children handle emotions and tough times
Back in the day, parents and caregivers didn’t always have help and advice on how to teach children and teens about handling emotions and tough times in life. Now there are lots of books offering ways for adults to help children to emotional health. Today’s nonfiction teaches everything from teaching toddlers how to deal with frustrations that come from waiting, to tools for teens who need to handle stress. And there’s a lovely tribute to African-American playwright and sometime-Minnesotan August Wilson
“Waiting Is Not Forever” by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen (Free Spirit Publishing, $8.99) — Aimed at ages 1 to 4, this brightly-illustrated board book helps toddlers learn the concept of “wait.” When adults say “Not yet,” “later,” “soon,” the little ones don’t always know what that means — except it’s not going to happen NOW, which is the world they live in. This book teaches how to wait better, showing kids how to reduce frustration by using waiting time to watch and listen, play, draw, stretch, sing and tell stories. Verdick offers suggestions for how adults can help children learn patience with several techniques such as using timers, relying on routines, limiting screen time and making a “wait kit” of special toys.
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