Connect with us

Culture

Lupita Nyong’o makes history, becomes first black person to head German film festival jury

Published

on

Kenyan actress, Lupita Nyong’o, has scored another first when she became the first black person in history to be made head of the Berlin International Film Festival jury.

The annual film showcase event, also known as the Berlinale, which is one of the five largest film festivals in the world, has not had a black jury head in its 74-year history.

According to the organisers,
Nyong’o will lead the jury in selecting the winning films in the two main categories, “Golden and Silver Bears.”

At the opening of the event in the German capital on Thursday, Nyong’o said she was “greatly honoured” to take on the position as jury head.

“That’s the beauty of bringing people together from different backgrounds – we respond to different things,” the Hollywood actress who won an Oscar for “12 Years A Slave” in 2014, said.

“We have a lot of world experience and opinion and it’s gonna be interesting. It’s probably also gonna be spicy,” she added, noting that the diversity of the jury would enrich the jury’s process of deciding on the films to award.

The film event will run until 25 February, when the jury will announce the winning films in the major categories.

From the African continent, three films made the entry among the 20 competing for the top prize, and all tell stories from the continent.

The films include “Black Tea” by Mauritanian-born Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako, “Who Do I Belong To” by Tunisian-Canadian director Meryam Joobeur and the documentary “Dahomey” by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop.

Culture

Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

Published

on

South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour where he hopes to spread humour and bring his social commentary to audiences across the globe.

The former host of “The Daily Show”, who made the disclosure on his social media pages, said he would kick off his tour on July 29 in Europe.

The multi-award winning comedian known for his insightful commentary, took to his social media platforms on Thursday to share the news of his upcoming international tour.

“Love that we were able to add some US & Canada shows for 2024! See… there’s still a chance for us CA, NJ, CT & Ontario!” he wrote.

According to the itinerary he put up, the tour is set to kick off in countries like Monaco in France, Germany, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, bringing his captivating comedic style to audiences across the country.

Noah’s announcement of the “Off the Record” tour was met with enthusiastic responses from his devoted followers, who took to social media to express their joy and anticipation.

Continue Reading

Culture

UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

Published

on

The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed
Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World Heritage sites in Danger after citing positive results achieved by the West African country and its formal commitment to reappraise plans to the development of the property.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took the decision during its meeting in New Delhi, India, made the announcement on Wednesday July 24, saying it was satisfied with measures taken by the country to allocate considerable resources to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning.

The park, which is located in a lush area along the banks of the Gambia River, was included in the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2007 as poaching, basalt mining and other human activities were becoming growing threats.

The gallery forests and savannahs of Niokolo-Koba are home to a rich wildlife, including the world’s largest antelopes.

According to UNESCO, since then, monitoring of emblematic species has been stepped up and considerable resources have been allocated to the surveillance of the park in order to combat poaching and illegal gold panning, as well as to better organize the transhumance of livestock.

The body also commended the setting up of a mine pollution control system, and hailed Senegal for work that has been carried out to improve the fight against the invasive species Mimosa pigra.

The World Heritage Committee called on Senegal to continue its efforts in the coming years in so as to improve the National Park which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Culture6 hours ago

Trevor Noah set for ‘Off the Record’ world tour

South African comedian and talk show host, Trevor Noah, has announced a date for his “Off The Record” global tour...

Tech6 hours ago

SA mobility startup LULA acquires UK-based Zeelo’s operations

South Africa’s mobility startup, LULA, has announced the acquisition of the operations of UK-based Zeelo in a move that will...

Sports6 hours ago

Ngannou accuses Joshua of employing dirty tactics in their fight in Saudi Arabia

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, has accused British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, and his promotion team of employing unfair and...

Metro16 hours ago

#EndBadGovernance Protests: Please be patient with Tinubu’s govt, monarchs beg Nigerian youths

Some prominent traditional rulers in Nigeria have pleaded with Nigerian youths and organizers of the planned nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests scheduled...

Culture1 day ago

UNESCO removes Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from list of World Heritage sites in danger

The United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has removed Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park from the list of World...

Metro1 day ago

At Project Aliyense discourse, panelists call for balance between free speech, ethical considerations

The government has been urged to balance freedom of speech with ethical considerations and laws that prevent harm to others....

Tech2 days ago

Adenia Partners acquires Air Liquide’s operations in 12 African countries

Adenia Partners, a leading private equity firm, has completed the acquisition of Air Liquide’s operations in 12 African countries, adopting...

Metro2 days ago

We will handle planned nationwide protests as family matter— Nigerian Govt

The Nigerian government says it will handle the planned #EndBadGovernance protests scheduled to commence on August 1 as a family...

Culture2 days ago

Veteran Nigerian entertainer Charly Boy vows to divorce wife if Kamala Harris doesn’t win US presidential election

Veteran Nigerian entertainer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has vowed to divorce his wife of 47 years if...

Victor Osimhen scored his first hat-trick for Napoli (Photo Credit: Getty Images) Victor Osimhen scored his first hat-trick for Napoli (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Sports2 days ago

Saudi club Al Hilal places African transfer record bid for Osimhen

Saudi Arabia club side, Al-Hilal, have reportedly made an African transfer record bid for Super Eagles and Napoli striker, Victor...

Trending