Entertainment News. Titbits

Posted On 24 Jul 2013

Compiled by Entertainment Editor Sylvester Munanjala Jr. Lusaka Zambia

3rd Edition of AFWL to hold Next Week

The 3rd edition of African Fashion week London AFWL will take place at the Old Truman Brewery London from August 1-3 2013

AFWL showcases the best in African designs in and out of Africa to a world wide audience.

Standard entry tickets are selling @ £15 for day 1, £20 for day 2 and £25 for day 3.

AFWL was founded by Nigerian born Ronke Ademiluyi in 2011.

Ronke Ademiluyi. AFWL Founder

Kidjo Fights for Release of Russian Punk band Pussy Riot

Beninoise singer, songwriter Angelique Kidjo has signed Amnesty International’s petition for the release of the two imprisoned members of the Russian Punk band Pussy Riot. They were jailed after performing an anti Putin protest in the main cathedral in Moscow.

“What made me sign this petition was my experience growing up in a country where there was freedom at first but then a communist regime arrives and that freedom is taken away from people; the right to write the song that you want was taken away and for me it was unbearable because I did not want to be in a country where my freedom of speech was taken away from me” she told the BBC Newsday programme.

Angelique the “Queen of African music” fled Benin for France in 1983

Pan African Music festivals ends in Brazza but why is the gov’t organizing it?

Yvonne Chaka Chaka and P Square were some of the best known stars that attended the 9th edition of the Pan African Music festival that ended in the Congolese capital Brazzaville over the weekend.

This years’ theme was “ African music, vector of authentication and factor of emergence “.

Only government Public relations officers can come up with a theme that sounds this flat. The Pan African music festival of Brazzaville, like the Pan African Film festival in Burkina Faso, is organized by the government but will be better organized if private consortiums run these big shows.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka. Worthy South African ambassador

Zimbabwe elections fashion style. Dressed to win

The July 31st general elections in Zimbabwe will not only be a battle for power; the contestants are trying to outdo each other style-wise to win the elections. The main actors have designed thousands of Caps, berets, jumpsuits and jackets in their party colours some of which they freely distribute at rallies. Our Zim contact says bigwigs in the ruling Zanu PF and MDC are forced by party officials to buy large quantities of the clothing for distribution. MDC colours are red while Zanu PF is a melange of green, yellow, red and black and all have images of 89 year old president Mugabe. Grace Mugabe, a sharp dresser has been dressing to suit a first lady while Elizabeth, the new wife of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is making up for her husband’s not so impressive dressing code.

Zim elections in colour

Lagbaja’s daughter weds

Moyosade, eldest daughter of masked Nigerian singer Abisade Ologunde aka Lagbaja, recntly wed her long time boyfriennd Olamide Obilana.

She is an MA graduate in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University USA. She will not be deopploring her business skills in her home country anytime soon because we learnt she has already signed to work for a top management company in the US.

Lagbaja. The masked One

Cameroonian girl band AfriGirl to release Music Video

The three girl cameroon band Afrigirl are expected to release the music video for their best known song Dancify next week.

The girl band created in the image of British all girl pop band Spice girls is managed by Honore Fon, a former musician with a now disbanded accapella boyband Flavour Drops.

Afrigirls

Preparations heating up for manu Dibango 80th

Musical friends of Cameroonian best known jazz saxophonists Manu Dibango are planning a rousing 80th anniversary celebration for one of the best musical exports from Africa. Dibango started singing in the 50s and is still going strong. His 80th birthday is on December 12th 2013 and his close associates still haven’t decided if the celebrations should take place in his home country cameroon or in France where he is now based and where he established his musical career. Manu has dabbled in all forms of musical styles and in 2009, sued late pop idol Michael Jackson for plagiarizing one of his songs. Michael used part of his chorus in his hit record Wanna be startin something. MJ quitely settled out of court.

The birthday promises to be one big musical bonanza!