Connect with us

Culture

Moroccan artists hold auction to raise funds for earthquake victims

Published

on

Top Moroccan artists have responded to appeals by the government for donations to victims of the devastating earthquake that hit the country last week by organising auction sales to raise funds.

The country’s most prominent art collector specializing in renewable energy, Youssef Bennani was the first to heed the call when he staged an auction to raise much-needed funds for the quake victims.

The collector organized a special art auction that took place on Saturday, where all of the proceeds went to the victims of the earthquake, through an NGO by the name of JOOD.

The Casablanca-based art collector told journalists that he was combining his passion for art and his ambition to help raise money for the victims.

“The fundraiser is a spontaneous initiative because I wanted to participate in the national effort to provide my help to those who suffered from the earthquake,” Bennani said.

He added that he had used his connections with various artists in the country to get them to donate an art piece each for the auction held Saturday.

“Since what was most lacking at the local NGO level was funds, I decided to organize an art auction to raise funds for JOOD, an NGO that is doing a very good and efficient job on the ground.

“I am passionate about art and I know many artists who are always willing to donate one of their artworks for a good cause,” he said.

“The response from artists willing to donate an art piece free of charge has been overwhelmingly positive. All the artists accepted right away to donate one of their artworks to help JOOD in their actions.

“Many artists are from Morocco but there are also artists from Ivory Coast and France that wanted to help because of their love of Morocco and its people,” he explained.

Another artist, who donated an art work to Bennani’s fundraiser was Chama Chraibi, a Moroccan contemporary visual artist.

Chraibi said he decided to participate in the initiative “to help raise funds in any way I can for JOOD NGO, who are doing incredible work in emergency aid and support for the victims of this devastating earthquake.”

Casablanca-based Youssef Douieb, who specializes in Abstract Expression and was among the artists who participated in the auction, explained why he wanted to participate in the fundraising effort.

“In the past, art had the purpose of painting an emphatic picture of the lives of those with power, leaders such as kings, popes, etc; and that can still be the case.

“Spreading happiness while Morocco navigates an unprecedented tragedy means donating works of art and raising money for the victims of the earthquake,” he said.

Culture

Kenyan officials arrest four Tiktokers for filming robbery prank video outside police station

Published

on

Kenyan Police authorities have arrested four young Tiktokers for filming a robbery prank outside a police station in the Kilifi North Sub-county.

Local media reports that the four young people who were aiming for social media fame, were arrested after filming and publishing on Tiktok a fake robbery outside the police station.

“The four young people, one of whom is 17 years old, made a video titled ‘wezi mbele ya police station’ (robbery outside a police station), and posted it on the popular video platform. However, police didn’t take it lightly,” one report wrote.

“In the video, a seemingly drunk man exits the Administration Police (AP) canteen and gets robbed by two others on a motorcycle.

“The 18-year-old cameraman was among those arrested. Police identified them through CCTV footage at the AP canteen. The youths were arrested at their homes in Kilifi, with the oldest being 27 years old,” another report said.

The Kilifi North Sub-county Police Commander, Kenneth Maina, who confirmed the incident and arrest of the suspects, said investigations are still ongoing, and the suspects will face charges, including cybercrimes.

“The viral video of a daylight robbery at the Kilifi Administration Police canteen in Kilifi was not real but a prank by a group of youths creating content for their TikTok account,” Maina said.

Maina said they were pursuing another suspect who was still at large, adding that the youths revealed they only wanted to attract followers to their TikTok account.

“There were five youths and we managed to arrest four of them and the other one we have a crucial lead that will lead us to an arrest,” the Police Commander said.

Continue Reading

Culture

Ghanaian Supreme Court begins hearing in case challenging anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Published

on

The Ghanaian Supreme Court Thursday began hearing on a suit challenging the anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed by parliament in February.

The suit filed by lawyer and journalist, Richard Dela Sky, seeks to challenge the controversial bill which prescribes a three-year jail term for people identified as gay and five to 10 years for LGBT advocates.

The lawsuit, which was filed in March, sought the court to prevent the parliament Speaker and Clerk from sending the bill to President Nana Akufo Addo, while also seeking that the president should not sign the bill into law.

A second case brought before the apex court by academic researcher, Dr Amanda Odoi, is challenging the constitutionality of the bill and was also heard by the court.

Presiding judge, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, however, expressed concern about the strong language used in some of the sworn statements.

“I think that the language is intemperate, a lot of the paragraphs contain language that is inappropriate, scandalous, so I want to give you directions,” Torkornoo said.

Local media reports that the tense events on day one of the hearing did not come as a surprise to many given the controversial nature of the bill, which has been condemned by Western donors and human rights groups.

“The hearing was presided over by the chief justice along with four other Supreme Court judges and broadcast live on television, because of the keen interest in the case among Ghanaians,” the report said.

“President Akufo Addo had said he would await the verdict of the Supreme Court before deciding whether or not to sign the bill into law and the case has been adjourned to 17 May,” the report said.

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Metro9 hours ago

Zambia Police denies suspending officers for failing to prevent Lungu’s public ‘tour’

The Zambian Police has denied allegations that six of its officers were placed on suspension for refusing to block former...

Tech10 hours ago

Oracle to increase research, development investments in Morocco

Global IT vendor, Oracle, has announced plans to expand its research and development (R&D) capabilities in Morocco by growing its...

Culture10 hours ago

Kenyan officials arrest four Tiktokers for filming robbery prank video outside police station

Kenyan Police authorities have arrested four young Tiktokers for filming a robbery prank outside a police station in the Kilifi...

Metro15 hours ago

U.S. applauds Nigeria’s monetary policies

The United States government has commended Nigeria’s monetary policies under President Bola Tinubu which it says has fostered economic growth...

Sports15 hours ago

Italian couple name new born baby after Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman

An Italian couple have reportedly named their new born baby after Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, after he scored a...

VenturesNow15 hours ago

IMF says Nigeria’s quiet reinstatement of petrol subsidy to gulp 50% of oil revenue

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s quiet return of petrol subsidy is anticipated to...

Politics16 hours ago

Mozambique’s president confirms northern town under terrorist attack

President Filipe Nyusi announced in a televised address that Mozambique’s military is engaged in combat against Islamist rebels who initiated...

Politics16 hours ago

Chad: Interim president Deby declared winner of disputed election

The state electoral commission of Chad has announced that interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby has secured an absolute victory in...

Tech1 day ago

Ethiopian low-carbon startup Kubik gets $5.2m for its pan-African expansion project

Ethiopia’s low-carbon building startup, Kubik, has announced raising the sum of $5.2 million in seed funding which will enable it...

Metro1 day ago

Youth leader laments infringements on digital rights, language barriers in media access

Limbigani Nyirenda, Executive Director of Easterner Visionary Youth, has voiced his concerns regarding the infringement of digital rights by political...

Trending