CULTURE & SOCIETY

The BBC World Service has appointed Rachel Akidi Okwir and Toyosi Ogunseye as heads of language services for East and West Africa respectively.  The appointments are part of the BBC World Service’s continuing expansion in Africa. Rachel Akidi Okwir, Head of East Africa Languages, is based in Nairobi, Kenya and oversees services in Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Somali, Swahili and Tigrinya. …

Last week, YouTube released its annual Rewind lists. These lists are separated by country and showcase the moments that captured the attention of YouTube users around the globe this year. The Nigerian section of these list made for some interesting viewing by giving an insight into what Nigerians like to watch on YouTube. The top 10 videos (excluding from major …

Cameroon-born, Berlin-based scholar Julien Enoka Ayemba traces the history of the African film industry from the 1960s and its decline as a result of reduced European financial support to the emergence of the locally financed Nigerian video films in the early 1990s. Nollywood “symbolises the hope for independence” of African film, he concludes. Since its existence, the African film production, …

Bic Leu* on how the Nigerian film industry is creating new distribution channels to circumvent the pirates, who deny practitioners of the revenue legally due to them. The domestic and international media have been buzzing about the emergence of a New Nollywood. A wave of recent features – including Kunle Afolayan’s The Figurine and Chineze Anyaene’s Ijé – flout traditional Nollywood …

The Masters of Nollywood are those powerful creative hands behind the scene who make it possible for the stars to shine. They are top-rated producers and directors whose works are celebrated around the globe. —————————————— TUNDE KELANI Interview with Tunde Kelani / Courtesy of NdaniTV The internationally acclaimed director Tunde Kelani is the standard setter in Nollywood. His production company …

While it is true that there is much to celebrate in Nollywood’s first 25 years, Aderinsola Ajao, a Lagos-based art critic and keen follower of the Nigerian movie industry, argues that the time has come to think more about the fate that awaits the industry in the years ahead. For the past two decades, almost everything about Nollywood has evolved …

The Nigerian film industry has been described as a phenomenon, an original African invention that has taken the world by storm. How did it all begin? Sunny Okim, one of the first set of Nigerian journalists to focus on Nollywood, traces the history of the movie industry.   Living in Bondage Some 25 years ago, a young Nigerian university graduate …

Femi Awoniyi on how the Nigerian film industry created a new popular African art form in only twenty-five years. “Africans are not banished to the margins of narrative or subsumed in landscape. Rather they become the movers of our story. Their humanity is not negotiable; it is not in the story teller’s gift to bestow, to withhold or to grant …

Within a few years, the Sahel has become a region characterized by a dangerous entanglement of fundamentalist religion, terrorism and politics. From 13-19 November, the 10th edition of AFRIKAMERA – Latest Cinema from Africa mainly presented a selection of current feature and documentary films addressing the political and societal challenges of the West African region. AFRIKAMERA 2017, christened Talking about …

British-Nigerian comedian TBoy (real name Tolulope Ogunmefun) is well known for his popular web series ‘Don’t Jealous Me’ which led to a spin off series that premièred on London Live last year. TBoy’s YouTube channel, which he launched in 2009, has been viewed over 41 million times and he has been entertaining fans, both young and old, with hilarious comedy …

South Africa’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters has been crowned Miss Universe 2017. The 22-year-old business management graduate beat 91 other contestants to the title in Las Vegas on Sunday night. Laura Gonzalez of Colombia was the first runner-up, with Davina Bennett of Jamaica the second runner-up.   Nel-Peters addressed women’s issues throughout the entire competition, impressing judges with her gracious heart and …

The second edition of Queen of Nollywood Awards Germany will take place in the south-western German city of Ludwigshafen on Saturday, 2 December. The event honours practitioners of the Nigerian home-grown movie industry. Among those to be honoured at the event are actors, directors, producers, diplomats, businesspeople and politicians – persons who have in one way or the other contributed …

Nigeria’s hip-hop superstar Wizkid was the biggest winner at the 2017 edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) held on Sunday in Lagos. Hosted at the seaside Eko Hotel & Suites on the high-brow Victoria Island, African stars from all over the continent graced the event which celebrated their achievements in the music business. Wizkid won three of the …

Adeola Oladele Fayehun of Sahara TV has quit her job with the medium. Created in April 2011, Sahara TV is the broadcast outlet of Sahara Reporters, the groundbreaking online news medium commonly referred to as the “Wikileaks of Africa.” Adeola who regularly hosts a satirical news show on YouTube called Keeping It Real with Adeola, which is produced and published on the …

International music star, Akon, has been announced as host of the 4th annual All Africa Music Awards (Afrima), taking place on Sunday, 12 November at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The annual All Africa Music Awards in partnership with the African Union Commission, is a celebration of Africa by rewarding the creativity and originality of African artistes and …

Within a few years, the Sahel has become a region characterized by a dangerous entanglement of fundamentalist religion, terrorism and politics. From 13 – 19 November, the tenth edition of AFRIKAMERA – Latest Cinema from Africa presents a selection of current feature and documentary films addressing the political and societal challenges of the region in West Africa against this socio-political …

The work of Aka Teraka, a Nigerian poet living in Germany, is an eclectic mix of music, poetry and novellas. Aka Teraka writes in three languages, English, Igbo and German, simultaneously projecting three– different paced and distinct voices in his work. This conflict is aptly captured in the poem Language from the artist’s anthology, Softly, it Rained. In a foreign …

The second edition of the Design Market by Dabira, a seasonal event to showcase contemporary design in Africa, will open its doors on 4-5 November in the Ghanaian capital city. The Design Market is a premier, seasonal market that features talented designers, artists and makers from across the African continent. The second edition will take place on November 4th and …

A website that helps Muslim men find “second wives” in Britain has more than 100,000 users registered, it has been revealed. The practice has been accused of opening women, often younger than their husbands, to physical abuse and even trafficking. In the UK, polygamous marriages – in which a person has more than one spouse – are only recognized if …

We have just been informed that the concert has been cancelled. We apologise to our readers. ————————————— The Nigerian singer Chidinma will perform today, Saturday, 21 October in Frankfurt. The petite superstar will present her new single “Fallen in Love” live on stage in the prestigious Güneş Theater. Hundreds of Chidinma|s fans from across Germany are expected to converge on …