#Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO

[afrikanza]

10 Most Influential African Women

Africa has many influential women who have greatly aided in putting Africa on the globe in leadership, business, sports, arts, and other spheres and domains.

Discover more: 10 Richest Black Women in the World

We are going to look at those self-made women who rose to influential position mainly through their own efforts rather than being heirs or beneficiaries of undue favors. Here we go!

10. Lupita Nyog’o – Kenya

Lupita Nyong’o is an Oscar-winning actress who came to fame due to her role in the “12 Years A Slave”. She is the first Kenyan actress to have won an Oscar Academy Award in Film and Theater.

She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in this film in 2013. She has also acted in several films, including East River, My Genes, Steve McQueen’s, Star Wars, The Jungle Book, and lately, Black Panthers.

She has been an inspiration for African women interested in entering the entertainment industry. Apart from acting, she has been an inspiration to women who would like to keep their appearance as natural as possible.

Unlike most African female stars in the entertainment industry, she has not had the urge to bleach her skin. This has led her to appear in several international magazines as an “authentic African woman.” We know, sad but true.

9. Salwa Akhannouch – Morocco

Salwa Akhannouch is a leading Moroccan female entrepreneur. She is not only one of the most influential African women but also one of the most influential Arabic women.

Her great influence emanates from her entrepreneurial prowess. She is the head of Akwa Group which specializes in fashion brands. She owns the exclusive franchise rights in Morocco for brands such as Zara, Gap, and Banana Republic.

She is also into real estate with an impressive portfolio. Through her enterprises, she has a 50% holding stakes in Morocco Mall – a prestigious mall that is Africa’s largest. The mall attracts over 50 million visitors from across the globe with key clientele coming from Africa, Europe and Asia.

8. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu – Ethiopia

Founder of soulRebels, Bethlehem Alemu is a household name in Ethiopia. She cut out her niche in the soles of the African shoes – making shoes out of recycled materials.

soulRebels is largely a social enterprise that not only generates profits but also helps to sustain a clean environment through recycling of materials that would have otherwise added to the increasing mountain of garbage in Addis Ababa and characteristic of most African cities.

Further, than that, soulRebels has helped relieve the acute unemployment crisis is Ethiopia by providing income opportunities to those living in poor slums of Addis Ababa. Thus, through her enterprise, she has profitably participated in alleviating poverty.

As Ethiopia’s un-announced cultural ambassador, Bethlehem Alemu, she has promoted Ethiopia’s traditional shoes, namely, “selate” and “barabasso” to international fame by adding to them a stylish dose of modern appeal.

Her ingenious entrepreneurship has led her to establish international stores in many parts of the world, including Switzerland, Taiwan, and Singapore.

7. Caster Semenya – South Africa

Born in 1991, in South Africa, Caster Semenya is a world-renowned athlete. She has won several international medals in athletics, including the most prestigious one – 800m Olympic Gold Medal.

Semenya began her international athletics career in 2008 by participating in 2008 World Junior Championship which she successfully won a gold medal in the 800m race.

In 2009 African Junior Championships, she won a double – 800m gold medal, and 1500m gold medal. She participated in several other international races, capping it up with 2012 Olympic Gold Medal. Her latest great win was in 2017 World Championships in London where she won gold in 800m race.

Caster Semenya has survived all odds when it comes to controversies surrounding her rather successful and exemplary performance in athletics. Some have questioned her gender and even damaging rumors on her personal life which would have otherwise caused great mental, emotional and psychological anguish to many haven’t deterred her.

6. Divine Ndhlukula – Zimbabwe

Divine Ndhlukula was born in Gatu, Zimbabwe. She is one of Zimbabwe’s most celebrated women entrepreneurs. She is the founder and CEO of Securico Security Services.

She entered this male-dominated field by offering customized security services. Due to her exemplary corporate and social leadership, she stands as one of Zimbabwe’s the most decorated women leaders, if not the most.

She has won over 18 Awards both local and international with regard to leadership, entrepreneurship, mentoring, and philanthropy.

5. Ama Ata Aidoo – Ghana

Ama Ata Aidoo has had an influence on Africa spanning over 50 years. She was born in 1942 in Ghana. As a playwright, author, and academician, Aidoo has inspired not only African women but also men in the world of literature, drama, and poetry.

Apart from being an accomplished author, poet, playwright, and academician, Aidoo has also participated in public service as a Minister for Education under the fourth government of Jerry Rawlings.

As an academician, Aidoo has served in many universities straddling Africa, America, and Europe. She has written many pieces of literary works that have continued to impart knowledge to millions across Africa.

She has over a dozen pieces of such works in her name.  The Dilemma of A Ghost being her debut piece and Diplomatic Pounds & Other Stories, being her latest. At, 76 years of age, she still finds the energy to continue mentoring young African women through her Mbaasem Foundation.

4. Folorunsho Alakija – Nigeria

Billed as Nigeria’s richest woman, Folorunsho Alakija was born in 1951 in Nigeria. She worked in many companies before beginning her entrepreneurial journey. Her entrepreneurial debut was Supreme Stitches, a tailoring company.  Later on, it became Roses of Sharon House of Fashion, which became a national brand.

Later on, Folorunsho ventured into the lucrative oil industry by applying for prospecting license in 1993. She carried oil prospecting under the flagship company, Famfa Limited. Later on, after oil discoveries, she converted from prospecting into mining.

Apart from entrepreneurship, she has also participated in the academic field having become the first Nigerian woman to be a Chancellor of a university. She achieved this by becoming the Chancellor of Osun State University.

She is one of Nigeria’s leading women philanthropists as well as the Chief Matron of Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs.

3. Sahle-Work Zewde – Ethiopia

Sahle-Work Zewde has broken history to become Ethiopia’s first female president. This is a big fete considering that Ethiopia is a predominantly patriarchal society. She has thus broken the ceiling to inspire not only Ethiopian women, but African women at large.

Sahle-Work was unanimously elected by Ethiopia’s Federal Parliamentary Assembly to take up this coveted position. She had previously worked in diplomatic circles as UN Special Representative to the African Union (AU).

She has also served in various other ambassadorial positions including Djibouti, IGAD, UNESCO, and ECA (Economic Commission for Africa).

2. Fatou Bom Bensouda – Gambia

Born in 1961 in the Gambia, Fatou Bom Bensouda is the most influential woman from this tiny West African country.

Bensouda has served in various public capacities both locally, regionally and internationally. Currently, she is the second Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the first and only woman to have held that position.

She also served as Gambia’s first female Attorney General and Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Prior to her appointment at ICC, she worked as Legal Adviser and Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

1. Dr. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Nigeria

Dr. Adichie is a writer and novelist. She was born in Nigeria, in 1977.

She is an acclaimed feminist renowned for her speech “We Should All Be Feminists”, delivered on TED program.  She has won about a dozen prized Awards in by various literary organizations including Caine, Booker, PEN, Orange, among others.

Some of her great literary works include Purple Hibiscus, Half of A Yellow Sun, The Thing Around Your Kneck, among others.

She was inspired by Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and considers him her literary mentor. She hasn’t disappointed her mentor. She too has become a mentor not only to young and upcoming female talents but also to male talents.

Conclusion

When it comes to the most influential women, Africa shines on the global scene. It has powerful influential women across various professional, entrepreneurial, artistic, sports, political, and leadership domains.

They compete effectively with women across the world. They have contributed to raising Africa’s profile, even in domains that their male counterparts have been dwarfed. They are the true spirit of Africa’s 21st Century renaissance.

Discover more: 10 African Social Entrepreneurs – Proudly Leading Africa’s Transformation

The post 10 Most Influential African Women appeared first on Afrikanza.

[saynaija]

UNESCO, Coalition Tackle Hate Speech, Fake News Via Nigeria’s School Curriculum

UNESCO, Coalition Tackle Hate Speech, Fake News Via Nigeria’s School Curriculum

UNESCO, Coalition Tackle Hate Speech, Fake News Via Nigeria’s School Curriculum

UNESCO, Coalition Tackle Hate Speech, Fake News Via Nigeria’s School Curriculum

Global body, UNESCO, the Media and Information Literacy of Nigeria (MILCON) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) have finalised plans to introduce media and information literacy (MIL) into Nigerian colleges of…

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#Media and Information Literacy of Nigeria #UNESCO

[freelanews-blog]

Nigeria shunned as Saudi Arabia approves e-visa, visa on arrival for 49 countries [Full list]

Despite seeming close ties, Nigeria is not on Saudi Arabia’s index of 49 countries whose citizens will be able to get e-visa online as well as visa on arrival. Freelanews reports that the list was released on Friday, four days after Adnan Mahmoud, Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Nigeria, spoke glowingly about how his country was keen on improving relationship with Nigeria. Mahmoud spoke at the 89th National Day celebration of the Kingdom held in Abuja. They envoy noted that Nigeria and Saudi Arabia had a deep history dating back to 1960. “The Federal Republic of Nigeria, a country with a lot of political and economic weight, has deep historical relations with Saudi Arabia since 1960. “I can confirm that our two countries have had excellent relations based on friendship and mutual interest; our two countries agree on many regional and international affairs and we have cooperation in all fields. “We look forward to improving these relations further and I wish the government and people of Nigeria more success, progress, peace and security under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari”, Mahmoud said. It would also be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari was one of the leaders who condemned the September 15 drone attacks on the refinery plants at Khurais and Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia. “The attackers of Saudi Arabia will win no friends in the international community for their actions – whoever they may be, and however certain they be in their cause,” Buhari said. But in Ad-Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh where Saudi Arabia announced the tourist visa launch, Nigeria was overlooked. Ahmad Al-Khateeb, Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage, in his remarks, said: “For the first time, we are opening our country to tourists from all over the world. “To those thinking of visiting Saudi Arabia, you won’t find a warmer welcome anywhere in the world. And you won’t find a people prouder to share the riches of their land with you. “Saudi Arabia is opening. We are opening our economy. We are opening our society. Now we open our home and open our hearts to guests from around the world. Come, visit Saudi. And let us welcome you to Arabia.” Revealing the 49 countries, the commission explained that the tourist visa allows for a stay of up to 3 months per entry, with visitors able to spend up to 90 days a year. However, Nigerians and others that didn’t make the cut can – for the first time ever – apply for a tourist visa at Saudi Embassies and Consulates in their respective countries. Full list of countries to enjoy e-visa and visa on arrival service: USA Canada Kazakhstan Singapore Brunei New Zealand South Korea Japan Spain Belgium Malaysia Austria Cyprus UK Croatia Estonia Andorra Denmark Germany Bulgaria France Hungary Czech Republic Holland Italy Finland Ireland Lithuania Greece Liechtenstein Monaco Iceland Malta Poland Latvia Norway Russia Luxembourg Romania Slovenia Montenegro Slovakia Switzerland Portugal Sweden Australia San Marino Ukraine China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) Read the full article

#countries #evisa #News #nigeria #SaudiArabia #visa

[newsnigeria]

Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/politics/sarakis-sister-ex-dep-gov/

Saraki’s sister, ex-dep gov — Meet the seven women who made Buhari’s ministerial list - #MinisterialList

President Muhammadu Buhari sent the list of his ministerial nominees to the senate on Tuesday. However, only seven women made it to the list that has 43 names. This means that women have only 16 percent of the proposed cabinet.

There were six women in his first list of 36 in 2015, which is also 16 percent.

Former president Goodluck Jonathan achieved over 30 percent with his appointments during his tenure.

TheCable profiles the seven female ministerial nominees below.

PAULINE TALLEN

The 60-year-old politician served in the cabinet of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. She was then the minister of state for science and technology. In 2007, she was elected deputy governor of Plateau state and later contested governorship election in 2011 but lost to Jonah Jang. The University of Jos sociology graduate defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress before the 2015 election. She is the first female to be a deputy governor in the northern region.

MARIAM KATAGUN

Katagum is Nigeria’s ambassador and permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a role that she has occupied since June 2009. A deputy director at the ministry of education, she occupied the office of the secretary-general of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO between 2001 and 2009. The Ahmadu Bello university graduate is also the deputy chair of the board of governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and member representing Nigeria on the UNESCO executive board.

SADIYA FAROUQ

She is the federal commissioner of National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons. Between 2011 and 2013, she was the national treasurer of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a political party founded by Buhari ahead of the 2011 elections. She served as the national treasurer of the party between 2013 and June 2014.

SHARON IKEAZOR

Ikeazor is the executive secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD). In 2011, she was elected the national women leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and emerged APC’s interim national women leader after the merger that produced the ruling party. In 2014, she was appointed to APC board of trustees.

GBEMI SARAKI

She is the daughter of Olusola Saraki, former strongman of Kwara politics, and a sibling of Bukola Saraki, president of the 8th senate. In 1999, she was elected into the house of representatives to represent Asa/Ilorin west federal constituency of Kwara. In 2003, the 54-year-old, who holds a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Sussex, was elected senator representing Kwara central senatorial district. She held this position till 2011 when she tried to succeed her brother who was governor of Kwara between 2003 and 2011 but she lost despite having the backing of her father. She defected to the APC in 2015 and was believed to have worked against her brother’s re-election.

RAMATU TIJJANI

Ramatu Tijjani is the national women leader of the APC. The 49-year-old holds a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from the Ahmadu Bello University. She is the first female national vice-chairman (north-central zone) of the then leading opposition political party, the All Peoples Party. In 2010, she became the national woman leader of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and in June 2014, she became the national woman leader of the APC.

ZAINAB AHMED

She was appointed minister of state of budget and planning in 2015 and later substantive minister of finance in 2018 following the resignation of Kemi Adeosun. The 59-year-old holds a degree in accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a master’s in business administration from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun. She was the executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). Ahmed is the daughter of Yahaya Hamza, the foster father of Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state.

#Nigerian Politics

[upshotre]

Centres of Excellence Must Be Apex of Educational System- Osinbajo

BY TAIWO OGUNMOLA-OMILANI   The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has said that centres of excellence must be an apex of educational system and also build research collaboration to find solution to regional Challenges.   Osinbajo disclosed this on Thursday at the 23rd Lagos State University Convocation lecture and conferment of Higher Degrees tagged, "Africa Centres of Excellence in African Universities: A Veritable Catalyst for Nation Building and Development".   "So what do we need to do to convert our country to the greatest Centre for innovation and creativity in the world? "   "Three things number one education, number two education number three education. The truth is that education is the most powerful force for socio economic change in the world. The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report and the Education Commission’s Learning Generation Report provides important evidence on the impact of education on individual’s earnings and economic growth", he added.   A recent study found that Education reduces poverty and 171 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. "That’s equivalent to a 12% drop in the world total.   "Absolute poverty could be reduced by 30% from learning improvements outlined by the Education Commission. That Education increases individual earnings Education increases earnings by roughly 10% per each additional year of schooling.   "For each $1 invested in an additional year of schooling earnings increase by $5 in low-income countries and $2.5 in lower-middle income countries.   "That Education reduces economic inequalities If workers from poor and rich backgrounds received the same education, disparity between the two in working poverty could decrease by 39%.   "That Education promotes economic growth Educational attainment explains about half of the difference in growth rates between East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa between 1965 and 2010. In 2050, GDP per capita in low-income countries would be almost 70% lower than it would be if all children were learning. Increasing tertiary attainment by one year on average would increase sub-Saharan Africa’s long-term GDP by 16%.m( source to be verified )", he said.     He expressed Federal Government 's committment to collaborate with the University saying education is the most important force to global change.   The Vice President opined that through improvement in learning and quality education, Nigerians could be lifted from abject poverty.   Prof. Osinbajo emphasised the need for the nation to place more premium on girls education, saying education is the most powerful force of global change and also to promote economic growth.   According to the Vice President, on the average, girls are more smarter than boys and any nation that does not educate girls lock itself up. Osinbajo restated that government was committed to bring back children that were out of school, saying all hands must be on deck to redesigning Nigerian education curriculum.     Speaking earlier, Former Ghanian President, John Dramani Mahama, urged African universities to move away from the colonial system of education and focus on science and technology.   Mahama who was the chairman of the Convocation lecture stated that universities must provide visionary leadership, have academic autonomy saying Political institutions must avoid interference with the running of academic institutions.   Speaking on how African universities can set the tone as African centres of excellence, the Former Ghanian President, however said to achieve this they must be adequately funded He stated that African universities must collaborate with each other saying they should have multiple campus for different specialisations in different countries. Mahama said African universities could help bridge the gap created in African countries by focusing on science, technology and innovation which could be the catalysts for the development of Africa. Read the full article

[thisdaynews]

Seven Courses That May Replace Mass Communication In Nigerian Universities

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/seven-courses-that-may-replace-mass-communication-in-nigerian-universities/

Seven Courses That May Replace Mass Communication In Nigerian Universities

Professors, Scholars, Others Propose New Curricula For Mass Communication To NUC

Professors, professionals, and practitioners of communication in Nigeria presented new curricula for “Mass Communication” to National Universities Commission (NUC).

Proponents of the new curricula worked on it for over two years and have been advocating for its acceptance and adoption. They include professors and senior lecturers from the departments of mass communication/communication studies of numerous universities spread across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Others that were part of the advocacy for acceptance of the new curricula are regulatory agencies such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Press Council (NPC); professional bodies such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Radio, Television and Theartre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU); practitioners such as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), print media journalists and the Director of Public Relations of the Nigerian Navy; and international development agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the MacArthur Foundation.

Hence for students interested in studying mass communication in Nigeria or graduates of this discipline, seven new courses would be replacing this degree.

The seven independent degree-awarding departments which the new curricula seek to establish in place of mass communication include:

Journalism & Media Studies

Public Relations

Advertising

Broadcasting

Film & Multimedia Studies

Development of Communication Studies

Information & Media Studies

[vivanaija]

Public Universities and funding challenge | Peter Ishaka

Public Universities and funding challenge | Peter Ishaka

Our public universities need to think out of the box to find creative solutions to their funding crisis The nation woke up recently to the decision by 38 public universities to jack up their tuition fees. According to the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Deji Omole, the hike was necessitated by poor funding from the owners, the federal and state governments. Whatever may be the merit of this decision, we are concerned that it may obstruct the peace of the universities, whose students have already notified the authorities of their intention to oppose the proposal because it would shut out many of them who might not be able to afford the increment.

There is no doubt that the nation’s public universities are facing hard financial times. This is a corollary of government’s meagre attention to education, a fact attested to by its poor annual budgetary allocation to the sector. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommends that developing nations allocate 26 per cent of their annual budgets to education to enable them close the yawning gap in the sector’s development and to lay a solid foundation for their future growth, which would rely largely on the quality of their human resources. Government, at all levels in our country, has performed abysmally on this front. In this year’s budget, for instance, the share for education in the federal government N7.3 trillion appropriation is a mere N448.01 billion, a miserly six per cent. But nothing demonstrates the perennial disdain for the sector than the allocation of a miserable N50 billion to capital development while a whopping N398.01 billion is allotted to recurrent expenditure. But reports on education from the 36 states of the federation are no better. The figures for 2016, for instance, showed that 33 of the 36 states allocated N653.53 billion, representing 10.7 per cent of their combined total budget estimates of N6.1 trillion to the sector. These poor allocations fly in the face of government’s own realization of the dire situation in the Nigerian universities. An enquiry commissioned by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2012 on the needs of these universities led the federal government to earmark N1.3 trillion for special intervention in the Nigerian public universities over the next six years. Only N200billion has been released to date. With low budgetary allocation to education, it is little wonder why tertiary institutions, particularly universities are broke with the attendant degeneration of their infrastructural facilities as well as lowering of standards of teaching and learning. The situation has led to perennial shut down and instability in the public institutions. Their global ranking has sunk so low that none of them is ranked among the top 800 in the world or among the top 10 in Africa. Meanwhile, in spite of government’s stated commitment to education, widespread agitations for increased budgetary allocation to the sector has not persuaded it to take more substantive steps in that direction, notwithstanding its complimentary funding of tertiary education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). While we support the clamor for increased funding, we nonetheless think that given the dwindling resources of government, the tertiary institutions need to think out of the box and find more creative solutions to the problem. Elsewhere, universities have explored several ways of raising money to fund their operations. In this regard, ours need not reinvent the wheel. The common avenues include donations, endowments, professional chairs, gifts, grants and consultancy services. We note that many of our universities have embarked on these but their performance needs to be stepped up. The total earning of Nigeria’s 89 universities was N340.6 billion in 2016. Clearly much more work has to be done to shore up internally generated revenue in order to wean the universities of their virtual total dependence on government funding. More importantly, our universities’ administrators also need to manage their resources prudently and transparently as part of the challenge in several cases has been misappropriation of funds kept in their care. Quote Elsewhere, universities have explored several ways of raising money to fund their operations. In this regard, ours need not reinvent the wheel. The common avenues include donations, endowments, professional chairs, gifts, grants and consultancy services. We note that many of our universities have embarked on these but their performance needs to be stepped up.

Written by Peter Ishaka

Source: Thisday

[annafricatv]

“26% UNESCO Funding Benchmark” A Myth — NUC Boss

Prof. Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, National University Commission (NUC), says the acclaimed 26 per cent United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) funding benchmark was nothing but a myth. #AfricanNewsNetwork

Prof. Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, National University Commission (NUC), says the acclaimed 26 per cent United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) funding benchmark was nothing but a myth.

Okebukola disclosed this on the sidelines of the 8th Convocation and honorary award of doctorate degree of Caleb University, Imota, Lagos.

Some Nigerian…

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[lexzycom1]

750 Million People Worldwide Can’t Read, Write - UNESCO

750 Million People Worldwide Can’t Read, Write – UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has revealed that over 750 million young and adults worldwide cannot read and write with Nigeria ranking high among countries home to these illiterates.

Statistics obtained from the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Adult Education (NMEC), also confirmed that over 60 million Nigerians, representing 30 per cent of the…

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[newsweb1]

750 Million People Worldwide Can’t Read, Write - UNESCO

750 Million People Worldwide Can’t Read, Write – UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has revealed that over 750 million young and adults worldwide cannot read and write with Nigeria ranking high among countries home to these illiterates.

Statistics obtained from the National Commission for Mass Literacy and Adult Education (NMEC), also confirmed that over 60 million Nigerians, representing 30 per cent of the…

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[goodnewsjamaica]

Celebrating our Senior Citizens this Season

New Post has been published on http://goodnewsjamaica.com/culture/celebrating-senior-citizens-season/

Celebrating our Senior Citizens this Season

Mr. Orville Hill, Interim Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission

On Tuesday December 12, the National Council for Senior Citizens which is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security put on a celebration for their members. The event was titled Jamaica 55 Christmas and it was geared to bring fun, laughter and pampering to our nations seniors.  Refreshingly, the moto for the council is “Seniors Promoting Inter-generational Solidarity.”  Every aspect of the event was a blessing to the patrons.  Correspondingly,  the first male and female to reach the venue were given gift certificates from Chocolate Dreams.  Find out more about the winners of the day as you read along.

Opening the day in prayer was Mrs Esther Jackson-Brown of the Counsil who thanked the All Mighty for being our provider and reminding the audience that this gathering is not only about the joy of the event but to remember that the season is about the birth of Jesus Christ.  Next  up was Nigerian Reverent Dave Okpe.  He highlighted the splendor of the aged, which is their grey hair. Rev. Okpe also demonstrated how blessed by God the audience was.  He celebrated life bringing them this far.

Okpe, a man of 42 years old, also made a point to remind the audience the real reason of Christmas and the gift of life.  At the same time, he cautioned the audience to not think of alcohol, or partying when thinking about Christmas.  The reverent stated that each senior should be excited that their own gray hair is their strength.  With a short prayer of blessing the reverent left the celebration to head to the airport for a flight to Nigeria.

A Senior Set of Exciting times

Michael “Stringbeans” Nicholson bantering with the audience

The event was MC’ed by Stephen Davidson, Director, Marketing and Public Relations Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). He eloquently transitioned through the official speeches of the morning before handing over duties for the days games.

Mrs. Kasandra Morrison, Acting Executive Director of the Counsel, made the official welcome.  She made a point to thank the JCDC team for coming on board to partner with the Counsel in making the event an important calendar activity.  She got great responses from the audience when going over the different events that happened for the year.  The arts and craft competition and Sports days were well supported special activities.  Mrs. Morrison also singled out Ruth Stennett, Programme Organizer, Income Security, for leading in the organization of these events which celebrate Jamaica’s diamond group.

Mr. Orville Hill, Interim Executive Director  of the JCDC expressed how important a role our seniors play in keeping our cultural heritage alive.  With this intention, he went on to use the example of Mento, (an indigenous form or Jamaican music).  He stated that Mento is a dying form of music today but the JCDC partnered with UNESCO on an initiative to keep the form alive by teaming young enthusiastic instrumentalists with Mento mentors.  The initiative goes into select high schools with equipment to teach students how to create and play Mento music. Mr. Hill then especially thanked the seniors for being the “backbone of our country”.  As an illustration, he expressed his gratitude for “The excellent service that [the seniors] have given to our country over the years.”

On to the Senior Games

Jamaica’s own Michael Nicholson, otherwise known as “Stringbeans” lead the games section of the celebration.  Mr. Nicholson immediately pointed out that he no longer answers to “Stringbeans” as his new weight more more aptly resembles “Broadbeans.” This statement started a morning of continuous banter between the audience and the M.C. followed by laughter and joy.

The games section of the celebration started out with the word puzzle race.  The competition for first place was between 5 tables.  The antics of the competition was exciting by itself but the icing was the ‘trouble’ of Broadbeans.  The winning table consisted of  Winnifred Jones, Sybil Walker, Ivy Cyrus and Dotlyn Walters who were given baskets from Shoppers Fair Boulevard to share.  The next game was musical chairs.  Talk about excitement.  The competition was so rough that one senior was bumped out of a chair by “a bigger behind” and landed softly on the ground.  As karma would have it, the bumper and the bumpee were the final to in the event with the bumpee, Ms. Diana Llewellyn seated in victory. The victor received a token from Cari-Med.

The excitement got to fever pitch with the next event, the hula hoop contest.   The last person to drop the hula hoop wins. This was the only rule.  The styles used to keep the hoop active mesmerized the audience.  It was like watching preteens at play.  The winner of the competition was Ms. Jamaica herself, Mrs. Pamela Francis who clearly transported back to her childhood days as she demonstrated her skill with the instrument.  For her victory, Mrs. Francis also received a token from Cari-Med.

There was also a birthday celebration for Mr George Williams and received a bottle of non-alchoholic wine from Shopper’s Fair Boulevard.

The patrons were being treated to the musical genius of Dr. Bob deMarcado who is best known as Jamaica’s Elvis when Good News Jamaica was leaving the venue. The audience love Elvis so much, they asked for an encore. Other performers were members of the Recycled Teenagers Dance Group and the activity center attendees. Ruth Stennet gave the vote of thanks before bidding the audience goodbye.

The event was sponsored by the following:

Attention Tents,& Rentals, Brooklyn Supermarket. The Best Dressed Chicken, CPJ Limited, Cari-Med, Chocolate Dreams, Good News Jamaica Communications Limited, HEART Trust NTA(College of Beauty Services , Boy’s Town, Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, JMMB, Perishables Jamaica Limited, Shopper’s Fair Supermarket, Boulevard, Virginia Dare, Rev. Dave Okpe, of Nigeria . Ms. Youlanda Nunes, Morningside Retirement Resort,  Mr. Samuel Vernon (Trelawny) , and Ms. Marie Brown.

Diana Llewellyn and second place contestant

Pamela Francis

Mrs. Kasandra Morrison, Acting Executive Director of the Counsel

An involved crossword puzzle race.

Pamela Francis and other Hula Hoop contestants

An exciting battle during Musical Chairs

Pamela Francis

Pamela Francis

Ruth Stennett

Dr. Bob deMercado Jamaica’s Elvis Presley

Pamela Francis

Michael "Stringbeans" Nicholson

Michael "Stringbeans" Nicholson bantering with the audience

Pamela Francis and Michael Nicolson

Diana Llewellyn winner of Musical Chairs

Diana Llewellyn and Michael Nicolson

Pamela Francis showing off her Hula Hoop skills

Mr. Orville Hill, Interim Executive Director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission

Pamela Francis

Audience loving the day of festivities.

Pamela Francis and other Hula Hoop contestants

Dr. Bob deMercado Jamaica’s Elvis Presley

Ruth Stennett Programme Organizer Income Security National Council for Senior Citizens

Pampering the seniors was a must.

Pamela Francis

Nigerian Reverent Dave Okpe

#JCDC #Micheal Nicholson #National Council for Senior Citizens #Stringbeans

[caveartfair]

United States to Exit UNESCO—and the 9 Other Biggest News Stories This Week

Catch up on the latest art news with our rundown of the 10 stories you need to know this week.

01  The United States announced that it will withdraw from UNESCO this year.

(Artsy)

In a short statement that spoke volumes about American engagement with the international community, the United States announced on Thursday that it will withdraw from United Nations cultural organization UNESCO at the end of the year. The U.S. Department of State cited “the need for fundamental reform” and “continuing anti-Israel bias” at UNESCO, along with “concerns with mounting arrears” owed by the U.S. The tangible financial and legal impact of leaving UNESCO, experts say, are few. The U.S. had its UNESCO voting rights suspended in 2013 after refusing to pay dues following the acceptance of Palestine into the cultural organization in 2011. The withdrawal may have knock-on effects, however, by emboldening the U.K., Japan, and Brazil, three other nations which, for differing reasons, have all not paid UNESCO dues in 2017. America’s annual contributions amounted to roughly $80 million, or 22 percent of UNESCO’s budget, and the U.S. owes in the region of $550 million to UNESCO.

02  The Obamas have chosen artists Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley to paint their official portraits for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

(via the Wall Street Journal)

This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that Wiley will paint the former president’s portrait, and Sherald will paint the former first lady’s for the museum’s collection. Wiley, known for vivid portraits of young black men in the Old Master poses of European aristocrats, and Sherald, known for surreal portrayals of elegant black women, are the first black artists hired by the Smithsonian for a presidential portrait. In a departure from the museum’s previous commissioned presidential portraits, done by lesser-known artists, Wiley and Sherald have been widely exhibited. Wiley, who explores issues of race and class, has had exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum and other institutions, and has sold works for over $100,000 at auction. Sherald, who often contrasts grayscale skin tones with vivid patterned clothing, won the Portrait Gallery’s national painting competition last year and has a piece at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The artists have declined to speak about what form their portraits of the Obamas will take until their unveiling early next year.  

03  The MacArthur Foundation announced the 24 winners of its 2017 “genius” grants.

(via the New York Times and the MacArthur Foundation)

The award is given to “individuals who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future,” according to the MacArthur Foundation, and comes with a no-strings-attached grant of $625,000 distributed over five years. Among this year’s variegated list of winners are journalists and doctors, as well as photographers, painters, performance artists, and architects. A national network of nominators put forward potential recipients for the fellowship, commonly known as a “genius” grant, with the ultimate winners selected by an anonymous committee. Among this year’s recipients is Chicago-based photographer and educator Dawoud Bey, who documents often-marginalized communities in his work on collective history and memory. Another winner is Njideka Akunyili Crosby, a Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based figurative painter who employs collage elements in her work to express transnational identities. Conceptual artist and geographer Trevor Paglen, who also won, focuses on exposing covert government activity and human rights violations. Other winners include landscape architect Kate Orff, designer and urban planner Damon Rich, and theater-inclined performance artist Taylor Mac.

04  Christie’s will offer the last Leonardo da Vinci painting in private hands at its New York fall evening sale.

(via Christie’s and Art Market Monitor)

The painting, Salvator Mundi, or “Savior of the World,” is from either the 1490s or early 1500s, according to experts. The work, one of fewer than 20 known paintings by Leonardo, was re-discovered in 2005 and was authenticated over a period of more than six years. Long thought destroyed, the Leonardo had been purchased by Dmitry Rybolovlev for $127.5 million, one of the pieces sold to him by the Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier, whom Rybolovlev accused of overcharging. The painting is estimated at $100 million, and Christie’s has lined up a third-party guarantee, according to Art Market Monitor, which means someone will go home with it—unlike the $80 million Francis Bacon painting offered without a guarantee in London in early October, which failed to find a buyer. Christie’s announced the Leonardo will be sold in its post-war and contemporary evening sale on November 15th, alongside Andy Warhol’s 60 Last Suppers (1986), which is estimated at $50 million.

05  Beijing’s Ullens Center for Contemporary Art has been purchased by a Chinese investment group, securing the 798 Art District landmark’s future.

(via South China Morning Post)

Art collector Guy Ullens, who co-founded and financially supported the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), put the institution up for sale last year. It spent an uncertain year on the market before selling for an undisclosed amount to the investor group. Once a private company, the UCCA will now operate as a non-profit and tax-exempt foundation. Director of UCCA, Philip Tinari, has said he hopes the new status as a foundation will allow the institution to raise additional funding and improve exhibitions and visitor traffic. He also affirmed that the museum has received assurance of remaining in the 798 Art District for the long-term. “Our mission continues to be a desire to put Chinese art in a global context, to provoke and stimulate a discussion about a vital part of art history,” he told the South China Morning Post. Ullens’s decision to sell the museum raised questions about the sustainability of China’s private museums and art centers, institutions that are individually owned and dependent on those benefactors for funding. The center is slated to soon undergo renovations, reopening in 2018 with a solo show of artist Xu Bing.

06  Brazilian politicians and conservative groups are attacking the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo as the country’s ongoing culture war ratchets up.

(via Artforum)

A September 26th performance by Brazilian artist Wagner Schwartz, in which the artist lay naked and invites museum visitors to move his body, prompted controversy after a video of a young girl and her mother touching Schwartz’s arms and legs went viral late last month. Commenters on social media have called the work “pornography” and said it “incites pedophilia,” Artforum reported. At a demonstration against the work, titled La Bête, protesters physically attacked museum staffers. An online petition calling for the closure of the Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM) had garnered 86,000 signatures as of Tuesday, and politicians have lined up against the work. São Paulo mayor João Doria denounced the piece, and Brazil’s culture minister Sérgio Sá Letião said it violates a law safeguarding the rights of children. São Paulo’s public prosecutor has launched an investigation to determine if there has, indeed, been any violation of Brazil’s Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA). Members of Movimento Brasil Livre (MBL), a conservative group, are thought to be among the forces driving negative reaction to the work. Last month, MBL successfully agitated for the closure of an exhibition on queer art in Brazil. Artists and other institutions have rallied to defend the work and artistic expression, with some charging that political critics are attempting to distract from their own scandals. The curator of the MAM is adamant that the thirty-fifth Panorama of Brazilian Art, of which La Bête is a part, will stay on view until its scheduled closure of December 17th.

07 Holly Block, director of the Bronx Museum and former director of Art in General, passed away on October 6th at age 58.

(via the New York Times)

Block had raised the visibility and attendance of the Bronx Museum of the Arts since she re-joined it as director in 2006, after having been a curator there in 1985. She helped propose, organize, and sponsor America’s 2013 contribution to the Venice Bienniale, a major coup for such a small institution. She also eliminated the museum’s admission fees in 2012, helping boost attendance four-fold to 100,000 visitors annually. “Her convictions about the importance of diversity, inclusiveness and community outreach, and about the global nature of contemporary art, were ahead of their time,” the Times said. In the 16 years before she joined the Bronx Museum, Block was director of Art in General, what was then a small Tribeca-based nonprofit whose profile she also raised significantly. While she was there, she launched an international artist residency, started a commission series of ambitious works, and helped stage shows of work by almost 4,000 artists, both domestic and international, and many of them unknown to the broader art world. She died at her home in Manhattan. The cause was breast cancer, her partner, Dana Emmott, said.

08 Arts institutions in northern California say their collections are unharmed by wildfires raging across the state, but several have closed to the public.

(via ARTnews)

The wildfires raging across northern California have claimed at least 30 lives and hundreds of thousands of acres of land; thousands of people have evacuated their homes since Sunday night. Area arts institutions have mostly said their collections are so far unharmed, ARTnews reported. Napa Valley’s Hess Collection said on its website it was closed to the public for safety reasons, and Napa’s di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art was closed because of a power outage. A spokesperson for the center told ARTnews that “the fire touched the north end of the property, but did not reach the main campus, including all galleries and offices.” Napa’s Stonescape, the private art-filled property of Norman and Norah Stone, was unharmed, and Oliver Ranch in neighboring Sonoma said its collection was safe as of Tuesday, when the ARTnews story was first published.

09  Los Angeles philanthropist and museum founder Eli Broad has announced his retirement from his charitable foundation.

(via the Los Angeles Times)

On Thursday, the 84-year-old billionaire released a statement that he has decided “to step back” from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, but will remain a foundation trustee and board member of the eponymous art museum he founded two years ago. Broad incrementally reduced his hours at the foundation after naming Gerun Riley president last year, according to a spokeswoman for the foundation. Riley will now assume control of day-to-day operations. The Detroit-born mogul, who moved to Los Angeles more than a half century ago, has been “a driving force in the intellectual and cultural life of Los Angeles,” wrote the L.A. Times. Along with gifting much of their contemporary art collection to The Broad museum, the Broads donated more than $4.1 billion to philanthropic initiatives, from scientific research and politics to the arts and education. Broad has also proved instrumental in bringing a $1 billion Frank Gehry-designed residential complex, called the Grand Avenue project, to downtown L.A. The city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, said in a statement that Broad’s “imagination, tenacity and generosity have helped shape our city.”

10  New York’s Bowery will lose one museum as another expands, with the ICP moving to Essex Street and the New Museum planning to add square footage.

(via the New York Times and the Architect’s Newspaper)

The International Center for Photography (ICP), which moved into its $23.5 million Bowery location a year ago, announced it will move to the new Lower East Side development Essex Crossing in early 2019, where it will eventually be reunited with its photography school. The ICP’s executive director, Mark Lubell, told the New York Times that the value of the Bowery building has gone “through the roof,” and will finance its move to the new location. The New Museum, meanwhile, announced it will expand into the lot adjacent to its current location with a building designed by Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu of Koolhaas’s firm Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). The expansion will add 50,000 square feet of space at 231 Bowery, which the museum purchased in 2008. The New Museum’s director, Lisa Phillips, told the New York Times that the institution had raised more than half of the $85 million budget, and construction would start in 2019.

—Artsy Editors

Cover Image: Photo by Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images.

from Artsy News

#Artsy News

[spicyconcepts]

NIGERIAN ART IN INTROSPECTION by OLUSHOLA O. OLAJOBI

With 2017 making it fifty-seven years of Nigeria independence from the colonial government. It is disheartening and unacceptable that more than half a century after the country's independence, many things are not yet right due to mismanagement from the part of the ruling class and the citizens vested with the power and authority to cause the transformation expected by all. Over the years, the Nigerian art history have exhibited the good, the bad and the ugly. While many new developments and historical landmarks have also been achieved, our destination still seems far away from where we are right now. Apart from the fact that there is little or no support from the government at all levels which have make it crystal clear that the higher percentage of the achievements so far in the visual art sector have been based on individual artistic efforts. The use of government officials against artists and their artistic license is still also a major problem to be contended with. However, the various projects embarked upon by some government institutions such as the National Council for Museum and Monuments, Ministry of tourism, culture and national orientation, National Gallery of Arts, and etcetera on some sorts of support for art and Cultural activities at large cultural festivals as seen in Osun oshogbo, the Argungun fishing festival, New yam festival in Onitsha can not be seen or taken as a weight about the contribution of government to art development in Nigeria. Taking an analytical look at the current state of the country economy where a dollar exchange for about 500 naira per unit in the common man market usually called "black market" due to the mismanagement and excessive public officials spendings not excluding the mono economic practice the nation have been subjected to over the past three decades. A substantial amount of support would have been contributed through the visual arts if there had been enough support to this creative sector from the different past government who were vested with the opportunity to saddle the country, by now Nigeria will have developed an international awareness that will automatically generate something to the national purse. But how would that be the case when made in Nigeria goods are not encourage until recent years even with the recent announcements by the government that made in Nigeria goods should be patronize is not yielding any effects since even the government is not patronizing these products. I can't imagine what could be the reason why the government of a state will allow or commission a public sculpture to a foreigner just because of their own selfish interest, or does that mean there are no creative talented professionals in such state and in the whole of the country to handle such project. Or the people in-charge of giving out such projects are scared of been exposed about the amount they siphoned to their individual pockets out of the total money budgeted for such projects. With all these, kudos most be accrued to the efforts of various individuals and bodies who have in their little quota over the past decades help improve the Nigerian art; in value, development and public acceptance. Works of both old and young Nigerian artists are now well covered in media, not to forget the fact that the works of Nigerian artists are now sold at auction houses within and outside the Nigerian border. Also many art collectors are now eager and ready to spend their last dime on any of these masterpiece because of the value Nigerian art now have in the world art market. Artists such as Peju Alatise, Dele Jegede, Tola Wewe, Jelili Atiku, Uche James Iroha, Nnena Okorie, Olanrewaju Tejuoso, and many others with many young creative minds such as Chibuike Uzoma, Taiwo Aiyedogbon and many others in their inexhaustible list are now globally recognized with many grants, awards and fellowship programmes for their unique style deliveries. The far cry situation of the way artists are treated is another issue that also need to be address even with the FoI (Freedom of Information) bill signed into law. Artists rights are still infridge upon by the so called judicial arm of government. For example on more than one occasion in the history of this nation, Artists have been molested, harassed, arrested and brutally bullied just because they choose to use their works as an instruments for societal change. Even with the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to many charters such as African Charter for Cultural Renaissance, Plan of Action on the Cultural and Creative Industries in Africa (2008), the UNESCO convention on the Protection and Promotion of the diversity of cultural Expression (2005) and the Belgrade Recommendation on Rights and Status of Artists (1980). The state of the national monuments is another major issues that need to be harnessed. These heritage sites and works have been abandoned for long and research or renovation have not been forwarded to these antique priceless pieces located across the country. Taking for example, the Benin moat which is now in a state of mess is hard to believe is one of the UNESCO world heritage site that have been compare to the great wall of China although richer and bigger style and grandeur. The Benin museum is another example that is not encouraging to visit which have been blame on the lack of funds from the appropriate authorities. The National museum Jos is not also exempted, this national monument site which also house the traditional architectural museum is nothing to write about. With most of the structures not having rooftops to cover and protect them against the direct effects of the weathering agents such as rainfall, sun, etcetera. The old Oyo reserve is another example that can easily comes to mind likewise the Binikudu rock art site in northern Nigeria. While it is a well known fact that the government can not do or handle all these issues raised, efforts should be geared towards partnering with relevant bodies in other to manage these monuments. In conclusion, all individual and bodies that have contributed so far to the development of the Nigerian art should please keep it up while everyone short of their responsibilities should make it a point of duty to do so as soon as possible. Long live Nigeria, God bless Nigeria.