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Idris Elba Plays Nelson Mandela In
Biopic
Acting as Nelson Mandela in a movie would be awesome for any actor, but
to portray the inspirational South African leader as a young man is an added
challenge and that is the role Idris Elba gets. Lucky chap! Idris was particularly
happy that Nelson Mandela got to see the preview portrayal of his haunting
life before his
health
took
a
downward
decline.
The
forty year old
Idris was able to
clinch the role in
the authorized
biopic because
of his height and
acting prowess.
The film based on
Mandela’s 1995
autobiography
‘The Long Walk
to Freedom’ is already garnering Oscar buzz. Idris describes being picked to
play the biopic as humbling and assures that he doesn’t take the opportunity
to play such a huge world figure for granted. He describes the role as the
biggest challenge of his life. But he has very little to worry about as both
Nelson Mandela and his former wife Winnie have watched the Hollywood star
in movies such as, The Wire Box and Daddy’s Little Girls. Well, guess we have
an amazing film to look forward to.
World Azonto Festival To Hold In Accra
The maiden World Azonto Festival which will be launched in Accra will be
something to look forward to. The interest and support of major government
organizations towards the festival is overwhelming as expressed by a
representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts. The Chief
Executive Officer of Flash Mob Ghana, organizers of the event opined that the
Azonto dance which is being enjoyed all over the world should be linked to its
Ghanaian identity and use the medium to promote Ghanaian brands”. World
Azonto Festival will hold in mid-September 2013.
Lady Skeet Taking The Liberian Rap
Scene By Storm
Hip-Hop /Rap music have not gained huge following in Liberia compared to
the local Hip-Co vernacular tracks that are more popular on Liberian airwaves.
Some Liberian female rapper’s such as Queen V, Lady Skeet, Lady Cash and
Peaches have tried to push female rap music into the lime light with their
boyish lyrics and hit songs, yet rap music and mostly female rappers are still
dire in the industry. However, a young female rapper has vowed to change the
story of feminine rap music in the country. Skeeter Roberts, aka Lady Skeet
is a Brewersville born artist. Lady Skeet believes so much in her creativity
and passion for music that she is set to become the biggest female rapper in
Liberia and Africa in the near future.
Having a great fan, manager and supporter in her mother, lady skeet is
ever grateful for her mother’s support, she also helps her out with her
three year old child. Lady Skeet admires Missy Elliot and started rapping
at ten years old in the kiddies’ choir. She is however, not miffed at the
hypocrisy in the church against rappers and entertainment personalities
like her, but is pushing the envelope through her songs and lyrics.
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HF Magazine Edition 1, Volume 1.
David Mell Gets All Africa Music Awards
Nomination
David (Melody Maker) aka Mell has been nominated for the prestigious All Africa
Music Annual Awards (AAMA), which is to hold on November 9 2013 at San Diego,
California. He is a nominee for the Best Male Vocal of The Year for the song ‘In
Love’.
This information was released by his manager via his social media page. The live
event will be aired by 8 pm (ET) on FOX Television Network. Other nominees
are 2Face, 9ice, Dare ft Chamillionaire, Kwabena Kwabena, J.Martins, De Prince
Joenez. Here is a full list of the nominees.
AFRIYIE -LOVE OF MY LIFE (Ghana)
J.MARTINS--GOOD LIFE (Nigeria)
FLAVOUR -- BABY OKU (Nigeria)
KWABENA KWABENA --BYE BYE (Ghana)
DEPRINCE JOENEZ ---THROWING MONEY (Nigeria)
MI ---BEEF (Nigeria)
9ICE ---3310 (Nigeria)
CHASE –LONELY (Ghana)
R2BEES ---ODO (Ghana)
2FACE----RAIN DROPS (Nigeria)
BANKY W ----FIND YOU (Nigeria)
DARE FT CHAMILLIONAIRE ---THE WAY YOU ARE (Nigeria)
DAVID MELL---- IM IN LOVE (Liberia)
The All Africa Music Awards is an annual event celebrating African Musicians,
Producers, Song writers, Music promoters, Record label owners, Music marketers,
DJ, Music Video Producers, Radio and T.V stations, Entertainment Journalists and
Contemporary African cultural musicians etc.
Coincidentally, J Martins, a popular African musician is the Host for the November
9th event, whose theme is ‘’Â Mercy World Concert” dedicated to the forgotten
children of Africa. Voting for any nominee can be done through http://www.
allafricamusicawards.org/vote.php).
Catherine Wamuyu And Her Low Budget
Tv Soaps
Catherine Wamuyu looks more like a typical headmistress than the stereotyped
cigarette-smoking, scruffy jean-clad, obscenity-hurling idea of a director. Yet
Synovate ratings, have consistently shown Tahidi High and Mother-In-Law to be
the most watched in their TV slots. The soaps have been running for seven and
eight years respectively and have won several awards and has proven Catherine
as the best in her field. The 48yrs old producer actually started with a social
conscious program on TV called ‘In Search of an Answer’ and when that didn’t
give her the expected results, she opted for drama which has proven to be more
effective. Recounting how members of the drama used to contribute SH250 for
miscellaneous expenses and how they would bring items from their homes due
to difficulty in procuring items. She is ever grateful for what they have been able
to achieve, in spite of their initial hurdles. Wamuyu is presently a masters degree
student of Theatre Arts in Kenyatta University.
She has several hit racks to her credit and recently featured David Mell in a single
she dedicated to her mother Ms Kemah Martin. Lady Skeet believes that music
saves a nation, citing countries like Ghana and Nigeria and how entertainment
has helped them. She hopes to start an acting career, if her music fails to reach its
expected peak.
I
can safely say the video boom in Nigeria began with the release of ‘Living in Bondage’ by
Kenneth Nnebue in 1992. And since then, the word Cinema has almost fizzled out, except
for the new move to return to the Cinemas by this generation of film makers. Ask our
young ones today what the Cinema is and you’d be surprised to see them dumbfounded.
Save for the children of the rich and super-rich who can afford to go to the few remaining
high-brow cinem a houses in the cities today, such as the Silverbird Cinemas, most people
in the present generation are contented with watching movies in their homes. But this was
not always the case.
The film culture in Nigeria can be traced to the British colonial masters, who exhibited the first film in
August, 1903 at Glover Hall Lagos. In 1914, the British established the Colonial Film Unit to nurture
the film industry in Nigeria. They used film as a formidable propaganda weapon during the 1st and
2nd World Wars, to justify the war against Germany. Films were also made to depict government and
missionary activities, and health and education as public enlightenment. Mobile cinema vans were
used to exhibit these films in the towns and villages. Most of these films were documentaries, but
feature films also held the interest of public viewers.
With Nigerian Independence in 1960, the focus of the Nigerian film industry changed. Federal and
State film units took over from the colonial film units, individuals also ventured into film production;
this birthed indigenous fictional feature film production in Nigeria, such as ‘Kongi’s Harvest’ in
1970, an adaptation of a play of the same title by Wole Soyinka, who also played the lead role. It
was a political film, an allegory of African despotism, but its intellectual content held no appeal to
the audience. Pioneer film makers, like Eddie Ugbomah, Dr. Ola Balogun, Hubbert Ogunde and Ladi
Ladebo, later produced films that had popular appeal. Eddie Ugbomah’s films, ‘The Rise and Fall of Dr.
Oyenusi (1976), The Mask (1979), Oil Doom (1981), Bolus (1982), The Boy is Good (1982) and Death
of a Black President (1983)’, were influenced by American action films with urban settings. But Ola
Balogun’s films took another direction, working with artists of the Yoruba Traveling Theater. He came
up with Ajani Ogun (1977), with Duro Ladipo and his troupe, and starring the late Adeyemi Folayan
(Ade Love); Aiye (1978), Jaiyesimi (1980), Aropin N’ Tenia (1982) and Ayanmo (1988), all were based
on the late Hubbert Ogunde’s traveling theatre, in which the legend himself starred. A host of other
films were made with such popular artists like Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala).
THE FILM CULTURE IN NIGERIA CAN BE TRACED TO THE BRITISH
COLONIAL MASTERS, WHO EXHIBITED THE FIRST FILM IN AUGUST,
1903 AT GLOVER HALL LAGOS. IN 1914, THE BRITISH ESTABLISHED
THE COLONIAL FILM UNIT TO NURTURE THE FILM INDUSTRY IN
NIGERIA. THEY USED FILM AS A FORMIDABLE PROPAGANDA
WEAPON DURING THE 1ST AND 2ND WORLD WARS, TO JUSTIFY THE
WAR AGAINST GERMANY.
The principal genre of Yoruba films is the costume drama, which recaptures the vanished splendour
of traditional Yoruba culture in all its metaphysical, social and aesthetic splendour, relying heavily on
dance, music and recreated festivals to do so. By the release of Jimoh Aliu’s Fopomoyo (1991), Afolabi
Adesanya’s Ose Sango (1991) and Brendan Shehu’s Kulba na Barna (1992), it was obvious that the days
of celluloid film production in Nigeria, were numbered.
In fact, since the video phenomenon took Nigeria by storm in the early 1990s, no significant celluloid
film has been made by Nigerians. Even when the cinema-going culture still thrived, the distribution
and exhibition of the mostly American and Indian films, was dominated by Lebanese and Indians.
It appeared as if Nigerians were anxious to boycott this foreign domination when they suddenly
began to buy their video films to play at home. Most of the Cinema halls in the cities and towns
have either turned to churches, town-halls or warehouses, today. Thanks to the birth of Nollywood,
Nigeria’s equivalent of Hollywood, that employs thousands of people and makes an annual income
of over N10billion, as recent statistics reveal. But, today, Nigeria’s video films, in their thousands,
cannot compete in international film festivals, where only celluloid films are recognized, when smaller
countries like Burkina Faso and Senegal are still participating fully in these festival; and this is the
major handicap of Nollywood films. So, more efforts need to be made by Nigerian film makers to up
their game and reintroduce feature films to Nigeria and the world, for only then, can our cinemas be
really revived.
H
F
VIDEO
BOOM
AND
CINEMA
DOOM:
THE
NIGERIAN
STORY
By Shamsudeen Adeiza
HF Magazine Edition 1, Volume 1.
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