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The Gambia beats Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, others to win Jollof Rice Competition

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The much talked about “Jollof Rice” war in the West African region was settled in spectacular fashion when The Gambia, against all odds, beat Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Liberia to the first position at the West Africa Food Festival (WAFFEST) held in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Gambian team of cooks led by international award-winning chef, Saikou Bojang, trounced all renowned chefs from the sub-region with their indigenous recipes, artistic food displays, and preserved West African flavours in a way that gave them the trophy, while also relegating giants Nigeria and Ghana to the background, with Liberia taking the second spot.

The Gambian newspaper, The Point, which captured the epoch-making event, described it as an “incredible achievement which came in honour of Jollof Rice, a divinely loved platter whose origins can be traced back to the Senegambia region that was ruled by the Jolof, or as we know it today, the Wolof Empire in the 14th century, crawling across parts of today’s Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania where rice is religiously grown.

“The West Africa Food Festival is a competition that has been running for over five years, usually housing about 16 countries per edition, running primarily on celebrating the flavours, sounds, and sights of West Africa, bringing together people from all corners of the geographic region through their diverse traditional cuisines,” The Point wrote.

“The Gambia, back in the 2019, event also emerged victors winning the best chef and best dessert awards. The then team led by Chef Saikou Bojang and Chef Musa Darboe was welcomed home by the Minister for Tourism and Culture in a show of gratitude.

“Such a moment still ringing with pride four years later will now stand side by side with this beautiful accomplishment of The Gambia bagging a win in both the Jollof and Vegan categories.

“A contestant from Liberia, chef Aloycious, also took to social media to express his despondence in losing to Gambia in a humble bout of words and shared that it was a great experience with a great team of chefs’”, it added.

Culture

Ghanaians react angrily as American video vixen Rubi Rose tours Jubilee House

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Some Ghanaians have been outraged following a tour of the Jubilee House, the country’s seat of government, by American entertainer and video vixen, Rubi Rose.

The visit and tour of the Jubilee House by the controversial vixen, rapper, and OnlyFans content creator who arrived in Ghana on Thursday, October 31, 2024, sparked outrage and angry reactions among Ghanaians on social media who questioned the rationale behind the visit.

The American star was a special guest for a Halloween party in Accra and during her stay, was granted access to the Jubilee House, where she met with Nadia Adongo Musah, Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, and was given a tour of the premises.

Photos of Rose’s visit to the Jubilee House circulated on social media, prompting discontent among Ghanaians, who questioned why someone with her background was allowed into the Jubilee House, also known as Flagstaff House, which holds significant historical and symbolic value as the seat of Ghana’s presidency.

Some angry Ghanaians took to social media to voice out their discontents.

A X user with the handle @fanti_boy wrote:

“Is this really Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana?”

Another user, @_blacksnow09, said:

“Foreigners have more access to the presidential residence than citizens.”

@CopsonClaude commented:

“The Jubilee House is now Oasis Lounge.”

@PositiveAt59011 said:

“Please, is the place a hotel where Americans do lodge in?”

@DanQuaye22 said:

“They told the citizens Flagstaff House is a security zone, but see who has easy access.”

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Mauritius bans access to social media until after elections

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The Mauritius government has placed a blanket ban on access to social media websites ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled to hold on November 10.

The ban, which was announced on Friday by the country’s national communications regulator, will be in force until November 11, the day after the election.

“The ICT Authority wishes to inform the public that in response to concerns regarding illegal postings that constitute a serious threat to national security and public safety, it has received directives in the evening of 31 October 2024, to direct all Internet Service Providers to temporarily suspend access to all social media platforms until 11 November 2024”, the Information and Communication Technology Authority said on Friday.

The move which came amid a wiretapping scandal in the Indian Ocean nation, has however, raised concerns as opposition parties and prominent figures have a ploy by the governing party to avoid defeat at the polls.

Local media say the unprecedented social media ban follows a wiretapping scandal which rocked the country last month when recorded conversations of politicians, business people, and members of civil society were leaked on social media.

According to media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were leaked published on social media, prompting the ban.

“The government of the Indian Ocean Island country, which has a population of 1.2 million, has claimed that these leaks are a threat to national security and instructed the communications authority to suspend all access to social media,” the RWB said in a statement.

In response to the bank, network service provider, EMTEL, said it would comply with the directive and user experience will be “progressively disrupted”.

“EMTEL understands the inconvenience that this action shall cause to its customers but reiterates that it has no alternative other than to comply with ICTA directive,” the company said.

Local media also quoted a statement from the office of the Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, who is seeking a second term in power, as saying that the suspension of social media was essential to protect national security and the country’s integrity.

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