Category: Entertainment

The biggest music and dance festival of the eastern region of Angola, dubbed Ngeya, kicks off this Friday at the Sports Complex of the Peace Monument, in Luena city, eastern Moxico Province.

This year’s event follows the experimental edition held in 2022, in Dundo City, north-eastern Lunda Norte Province. The project funded by the Catoca mining society brings together 126 artists from the provinces of Moxico, Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte.

The festival showcases the main traditional rhythms and folklore of the country’s eastern region.

Despite not having a competitive nature, Ngeya, which is part of Catoca’s “cultural itinerary” of social responsibility, will award one million kwanzas to each of the three participating groups per province.

The organisers justify the non-competitive character with the need to promote the cultural retrieval and intercultural dialogue, meeting of generations and construction of legacies for the promotion of multiculturalism in these three provinces of Angola.

Traditional dance is a popular cultural manifestation, during which the people of a certain region, in this case eastern Angola, express feelings and venerate their ancestry.

The festival, which takes place in a typical multicultural region, with the Cokwes and the Luvales being the most predominant, it is expected that the groups do their best to show visitors, scholars, curious people and the population all the power of the region’s folklore, gastronomy, handicraft and cultural tourism.

Although the “Tchianda” is the the typical dance of the region, and probably the most internationalized one, with its singularity of being a dance and a music, the event will be a privileged stage to show other dances potential such as the Makopo, Mitingui, Maringa, besides the Kalofolofo, Kauali, Hulengo, Kandemba and Musheta.

The need to strengthen ethno-cultural Angolanity will certainly spark curiosity of the population to attend the event

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Angola is taking over the one-year rotating chairperson of the Regional Adjudication Committee (RAC) of the SADC Media Award.

This will be during the virtual 28th Meeting of the body, taking place since Tuesday, under the guidance of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the acting president of the body.

The event is evaluating the works on the present edition, during which the national adjudication committees of the Member States will exercise their right

to vote for each one of them.

The Angolan delegation is led by the national coordinator of SADC Media, João Demba and comprises the president of the CNA-Angola and the Jury of the SADC Journalism Award 2023 Anastácio de Brito and the jurors for the categories of Press, Fernando Tati, Radio Arlindo Macedo, Television Mariana Ribeiro and Photojournalism Quintiliano dos Santos.

The SADC Journalism Prize was established in 1996, aimed at recognising the best journalistic work about the Southern African Development Community, in support for the process of cooperation and regional integration of the Member States.

SADC groups Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Chief Olusegun Runsewe, Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has said that a six-storey building of “Nigeria Culture House” would soon be inaugurated in Abuja to market the nation’s cultural heritage.

Runsewe disclosed this during a familiarisation visit of the building with travel writers on Friday in Abuja.

According to him, it is long overdue for the nation to have such a tourist attraction where local and international tourists can access Nigeria’s peculiar cultural products.

He said the building which initially acquired by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been retrieved.

He said the 30-metre long building would accommodate offices for all countries with embassies in Nigeria as well as an e-library connected to over 170 countries.

According to him, this will afford local and international tourists to connect to the globe and also help individuals who wish to conduct research based on Nigerian culture.

According to Runsews, the culture house which is undergoing some finishing touches will be inaugurated soon and ready to receive visitors.

“Here in the building, we have befitting offices for all staff of NCAC with work stations, a clinic that will cater for free medical assessment for all staff and visitors, also we have rehearsal rooms for the performing and theatre arts department.

“It is an iconic building that will accomodate constant exhibition of nation’s cultural materials.

“We have halls for events, a lift that is permanently connected to an inverter and boardrooms.

“We also have a small market where some of the members of staff could get some foodstuff and pay at subsidised rate at the end of each month.

“Erected on six corners of the building are 25 metres high art works designed to depict peculiar cultural features in each state of the federation, this is meant to attract and educate tourists,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

El Kouraji Mohcine is the winner of the 19th edition of the International Cycling Tour of Cameroon, which took place from June 3-11, 2023.

The Moroccan grabbed the yellow jersey after recording the best overall performance in all eight laps. He finished 9th in the final phase of the competition.

“I came to Cameroon to win the tour. I had won my first tour in Cote d’Ivoire. This is the second tour for me. Thanks to all of the organizers of the competition” El Kouraji said.

The best Cameroonian, Michel Boris Tiencheu, was ranked fourth in the general classification. His compatriot Clovis Kamzong Abessolo, finished second in the last lap on Sunday, behind Ed Doghmy Achraf from Morocco, who covered the 118km distance from Bafia to Yaounde in 2 hours 57 minutes and 26 seconds.

45 cyclists thronged the streets of the four cultural zones of Cameroon in this year’s event from the North in Garoua, down South to Yaounde in the Centre region.

Nine teams from eight countries were represented, with cyclists from the Maghreban region of Africa dominating.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The German Ambassador-designate to Cameroon, Corinna Fricke has reassured Cameroon of the return of Artifacts taken to Germany during the colonial era.

This was during an audience she had on Friday, June 9, 2023, with the Minister of Arts and Culture, Pierre Ismaël Bidoung Kwwatt.

Both officials met to discuss the stakes of plans by both countries to return the Cameroon archives and artifacts taken to Germany during the colonial era.

Her Excellency Corinna Fricke promised to continue supporting the committee set up to facilitate the restitution of these historic arts.

“During the last months, I have been attending conferences in Yaounde and one in Berlin. It was about our Cameroon past, we will cooperate with the Ministry, government, and civil society to bring back the arts from Germany” She said.

She also stated that “I am also glad about our cooperation with the family of King Rudolf Duala Manga Bell. Our Minister of State was in Douala last year and made an important speech, and now several towns in Germany have decided to give places and streets the Name Duala Manga Bell”.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Promoting African culture appears to be a herculean task in present day Nigeria, no thanks to modernisation and western influences after many decades of colonisation.

Many Africans, especially the elites, who often times place western culture above the time-treasured and unique African culture, poss great challenge to its promotion on African continent.

It is against this background that the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) has continued to champion the promotion of African culture by fulfilling its mandate of preserving, presenting and propagating the African culture in its entirety as well as restoring Africa’s rich cultural heritage.

Stepping up on its mandate, under the leadership of highly resourceful Oluwabunmi Amao, the Centre has engaged in the promotion of Pan-Africanism, creating a sense of brotherhood and collaboration among all people of African descent.

Also, the centre continues to hold conferences, seminars, and workshops that border on harnessing the creative talent of the African child and the renaissance of African culture through music, crafts, language, literature, folklore and all.

Arts and crafts exhibitions as well as exhibitions of the relics from the Festival for Arts and culture, held in 1977 were also contantly on exhibition at the centre to keep alive the spirit of FESTAC ’77 among Africans.

Going steps further, Amao built CBAAC Black and African Hall of Fame in Abuja, celebrating black personalities and professionals that have played prominent roles in the emancipation of Africa.

Among those in the CBAAC Hall of Fame are former African presidents during FESTAC ’77 like Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo; Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta, late Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Ahmed Sekou Toure of, Guinea.

Others curated were Jean Bedel Bokassa of, Central African Republic; Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe; Leopold Sedar Senghor, Senegal; Moktar Ould Daddah, Mauritania; Felix Malloum Bey-Ndi, Chad; and El Hadj Omar Bongo, Gabon.

Amao said the Hall of Fame is also to showcase the achievements of FESTAC ’77.

According to the CBAAG boss, artistes and non artistes from 59 countries who participated in the international festival are showcased in the Hall of Fame. The CBAAG boss said that the Hall of Fame is a deliberate effort to preserve the historical legacy of FESTAC ’77 for present and future generations of African children.

She encourages Nigerian and African tourists to visit the Hall of Fame located on the third floor of the Office of Head of Service at Federal Secretariat, Abuja for knowledge acquisition and education.

Under her watch, CBAAC also commemorated the 45th anniversary of FESTAC ’77 with a cultural potpourri held at Abuja Transcorp Hilton in December 2023.

Amidst glitz and glamour, there were displays of African cuisines, arts, crafts, musical rendition from different African countries, colloquium and awards during the well-attended Gala Night.

The event spurred some nostalgic reactions when relics and memories of FESTAC ’77 was brought to the fore through documentary presentations of various cultural displays exhibited during FESTAC 46 years ago.

The initial documentaries were juxtaposed with a series of performances yet again by various states and delegates from other countries.

Suffice to say that the entire performance revealed how culture had evolved over the years and the enormous potential yet untapped for economic benefits.

Countries in scintillating African dance styles and songs were seen in colourful display of various aspects of African culture, arts, crafts and all.

At the gala night, Zimbabweans exhibited an important aspect of their historical cultural lifestyle in acrobatic movement with rhythmic claps and drummings.

Ditto for Ugandans who, in classic appearance, made synchronised movement of their indigenous dances in their presentation relaying stories in captivating manner.

Our neighbouring Togolese danced in their Rafia costumes and beaded legs, while the Sudanese performance revealed their nomadic lifestyle usually displayed during joyous occasions.

South Africans indlamu dance expressed their cultural regalia and the Somalians, in dramatic expressions, tell stories of their exploits and travails as a nation.

Other countries whose documentaries were exhibited were Libya, Mozambique, Cuba, Cote d’Ivoire and many more.

The event had Indians display various fabrics peculiar to different regions of the country.

African fashion and hairdo across different countries were also on display.

Present at the gala night were former Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who commended Amao’s efforts at championing cultural promotion in the country.

Mohammed described Amao as a leader with deep love and sense of responsibility for arts, culture and heritage.

He said FESTAC”77 served as a sanctuary for the unification of the Black people across the world because the historical festival recorded a series of positive narratives.

According to him, the festival inspired many to go back to their countries of residence and preach the messages of bravery and freedom.

No fewer than 21 traditional rulers and members of the diplomatic community were conferred with awards of excellence in appreciation of their remarkable contributions to cultural promotion and propagation.

Among the traditional rulers honoured are: Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Frederick Akinruntan; the Dein of Agbor Kingdom, Benjamin Ikenchukwu I; Olubadan of Ibadan, Senator Moshood Balogun; Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli and the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II.

Others are: Oba Olusola Alao, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon; Goge Africa; Zainab Ahmed, former Minster of Finance, Budget and National Planning; Mrs Omotayo Omotosho, a tourism consultant and Geoffrey Onyeama, former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Awardees from the diplomatic community include: Clara Culido-Escandel, the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, and Dr Yanko Yordanov, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria.

Also, recipients from the creative industry are: Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, Founder, Nike Arts Gallery; Aralola Olumuyiwa, Cultural Ambassador to Ife Kingdom, and Nollywood Actor, Ramsey Nouah.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Samuel Fosso 60, a contemporary artist who photographs himself in the style of leading historical figures including Martin Luther King and Angela Davis, has won the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2023, the BBC has reported.

The Cameroonian-born Nigerian photographer Samuel Fosso was awarded the $37,000 prize at the Photographers’ Gallery in London.

Samuel Fossi now described as “a man of 1,000 faces”, has since 1970 specialized in self-portraiture and performative photography and his works currently appear in most renowned galleries across the world.

Speaking to the BBC after bagging the prestigious prize Samuel reacted saying;

“Winning this prestigious prize, recognized as one of the most important in the field of photography, means that my work is recognized by the artistic community.

This recognition is very important to me. I feel a lot of joy and pride.” he stated

The Director of the Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation, Anne-Marie Beckmann, said Fosso’s retrospective opened up new perspectives, allowing many more people to discover his work for the first time.

“Through the retrospective, we were able to see his work differently and gain a much deeper understanding of the relevance of his practice today,” she said.

The jury also acknowledged the work of the other shortlisted artists, Bieke Depoorter, Arthur Jafa, and Frida Orupabo, who received £5,000 each, the Guardian reported.

The exhibition showcasing all four artists is currently ongoing at the Photographers’ Gallery until June 11th, 2023.

Samuel Fosso was raised in Nigeria and later fled the Biafran war as a young boy, in 1972 and was taken in by an uncle in Bangui in the Central African Republic.

In 1975, at the age of 13, reports revealed he opened his Studio Photo Nationale to take commercial portrait photographs. He also made self-portraits to fill the unused parts of his photographic films. His work includes using self-portraits adopting a series of personas, often commenting on the history of Africa.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Durban Tourism, the marketing authority for the city of Durban, South Africa, says some tourism infrastructural development are underway in the city ahead of the 2024 edition of Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) expo.

Winnile Mntungwa, Deputy Head, Durban Tourism, gave the assurance during a news conference at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Thursday.

Mntungwa assured tourists that the development would totally transform Durban, the host city for the just concluded three-day ATI expo.

According to her, the development is neccesary as Durban remains the host for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the expo.

“A film city similar to what is obtainable in Hollywood will be constructed as well as a resuscitation of the waterfront in the city.

“There will be a different Durban in 2024, when you come for Indaba. You all know that we take pride in ourselves as the city under construction.

“We hope to complete the film city which will be of disney standard; cruising activity will be upgraded and we have a lot of other infrastructural developments ongoing as well,” she said.

Mntungwa noted that the organisation had exceeded its success projections for the expo so far, as 6,000 delegates were targeted but was able to attract 8,629 delegates.

“I am happy, we are making a positive and upward impact, we look forward to a big one in 2024 and I believe we Africans will continue to tell our stories more,” she said.

Also, Zinnie Nzama, Acting Chief Convention Bureau Officer, South Africa Tourism, noted that 21,000 meetings were held during the expo as against 18,000 meetings held in 2022.

She said this was quite encouraging as she appealed to Africans to engage themselves further and make 2024 edition of the expo a bigger one.

Mr John Arittho, Chief Operations Officer, Durban International Convention Centre (ICC), promised to provide a more comfortable venue for the expo in 2024.

Arittho also assured tourists that the hotel facilities around the ICC would be made available for them to use in 2024.

He disclosed that for each day of the just concluded expo, 6,000 meals were served.

“The most interesting aspect of the expo was having students from different vocational academy in Durban participate in the expo.

“This is a way of catching them young to enable them become self reliant and responsible,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Some exhibitors at the just concluded 2023 Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) on Thursday commended the South Africa Tourism (SAT) for a well organised expo.

The exhibitors who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews expressed excitement over sales recorded and business deals sealed at the expo.

NAN reports that the three-day expo witnessed business meetings, conferences, exhibitions, diverse cultural displays, virtual tourism education, nightlife experience and more.

The expo attracted no fewer than 8,000 delegates from across the globe with over 1,000 exhibitors.

Tabitha Muchogu, Sales and Marketing Administration Manager, Heritage Hotels,Kenya, who had been attending the expo for the past 15 years, said significant improvement was observed.

Muchogu said the organisation of the fair was well coordinated and appropriate imformation were consistently and promptly circulated.

She noted that the quality of buyers had also improved tremendously as travel agents known as the buyers had the potential to sell their products.

“Now I can see that we have fewer jokers coming into the exhibition, who one can confidently transact businesses with. I don’t know how this was done but there are great improvements compared to the past editions.

“Going forward, I would want the South Africa Tourism to consider serving local dishes because what we had was lots of finger foods,” she said.

Also, Julia De Beer, Marketing and Reservations Manager, Siviti Timbavati Plains, said “It is a great experience here, the exhibition has been a prosperous one, we have made sales.

“I have also been able to learn a lot, for instance, I learnt the real estate business from some other exhibitors around.”

Similarly, Cassilda Ntsane, Group Sales Manager, Premier Hotel in Pretoria, who commended SAT for a well organised expo, advised them to ensure that the number of buyers exceeded that of the exhibitors, going forward.

“This will ensure that market demand meets supply,” he said.

Frank Udeme from Nigeria, said the expo was beneficial to him because he learnt diverse aspects of African culture.

He urged Africans to keep being friendly with one another and explore more of African boarders during leisure, instead of visiting the western world for tourism.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria