Entertainment News. Titbits

Compiled by Sylvester Munanjala Jr. Lusaka, Zambia

 Ivory Coast. New Alpha Blondy album doing well 

 Released recently, the new studio album of Africa’s best known reggae man Alpha Blondy titled “Mystic Power” is flying off musical shells fast. He has been promoting the  album with a couple of sell out shows in France. Since the album’s release, he has also performed to fans in Washington DC, New York, Montreal Canada, London and Vienna in Austria. He is still planning to take the album to his loyal fans across Africa.

Alpha Blondy. Africa’s Bob Marley

 Zambia. Dreams TV show is Back:

   The second season of Zambia’s biggest TV music talent show, Dreams returns to the screens in August, on ZNBC TV.  Forty singers from across the country will battle for the KR100,000 ($20,000) grand prize.

 The talent search programme aimed at creating and promoting new artists, filmed its first auditions in Livingstone on 29^th June 2013. From Livingstone, the auditions moved to Kitwe on July 13 and later to Lusaka on July 20.

 A Power Media Production co-produced by Chishala Chitoshi aka Gesh Groove, Dreams has partnered with Rockstar 4000 and music giant SONY Music Entertainment.

 Confirming the development, Power Media Chief Executive Officer Lucky Chiowele told Iroko Africa that the contestants range in ages from 16 to 34 years.

 He confirmed that SONY Music Talent scouts is involved in the venture because it aims to sign the winner to its label.

 Veteran musicians Brian Chengala, Catcus Agony and Mampi will be the shows judges.

 With an estimated budget of KR1.3million ($300,000), Power Media is appealing to the government and corporate sponsors to invest in the venture.

 Zambia.  La Flamme fires up fashion industry

 Sisters Esther Mwang’onda and Victoria Lungu last friday set the Zambian fashion scene alight with their ready to wear clothing line at the Chit chat Café in Lusaka. They codenamed their show “La Flamme” collections.

 A large crowd of fashion enthusiasts attended the show. The fashion label managed to “wow” with their flair of leather, chiffon and chitenge. “La Flamme” is French for ‘The Flame’.

The well organized fashion show featured five models and was meant to give the Zambian fashion industry a kick to get out of its slumber.

 The sisters entered the creative industry four years ago with the idea of stitching elegant clothes and hope to establish a fashion house soon that would lead in innovation.

 The duo made an appearance at last year’s Swahili Fashion Week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where they added glitz and glamour to the pageantry.

 Cameroon/UK.  Miss Cameroon UK 2013 registration opens

Organizers of the UK Miss Cameroon beauty pageant have begun the search for the new face that will replace Michele Vigan who won the coveted “queen” title in 2012.

Interested girls are invited to ring the organizer on  tel no 07951817085. Interested Cameroonian designers, stylists, DJs, photographer, make-up artists and volunteers are also invited to contact the organizer. The main event will take place in December 2013

Last year’s Laureate Michele Vigan early July launched a “slate and Chalk” campaign to donate 300 school kits to Makai nursery and primary school in September. Makai is situated in the Center region of Cameroon. Most of the pupils don’t have basic school supplies.

Michele Vigan. 2012 Laureate

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The aim of this project is to donate 300 school kits to Makai’s primary school and nursery in September 2013. Makai is a small village in the Center Region of Cameroon. We are very fortunate to have a beautiful and decent school in our village but it is so painful to see most of our children going to school with very few/inexistent school supplies

According to its facebook page, Miss Cameroon UK is intended to “promoting the beauty and maturity of young Cameroonian ladies as well as the general culture and touristic beauty of Cameroon”