Archive for July 2010
President Obama to host Young African Leaders
WHITE HOUSE – In 2010, seventeen countries across sub-Saharan Africa celebrate fifty years of independence. In honor of this important historic moment; in acknowledgement of the extraordinarily young demographic profile of the region; and as part of an effort to forge strong, forward-looking partnerships in the years ahead, President Obama will host a forum in Washington, D.C., from August 3 – 5 with approximately 120 young leaders from civil society and the private sector representing more than forty countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Together with American counterparts and U.S. government officials, the participants will share their insights on key themes of youth empowerment, good governance, and economic opportunity. President Obama will host a town hall meeting at the White House with these young leaders to discuss their vision for transforming their societies over the next fifty years.
The President’s Forum with Young African Leaders presents the U.S. government and American friends of Africa with an opportunity to deepen and broaden our understanding of the trajectories of African societies, and to reflect on how the next generation are building their communities’ and their nations’ futures – just as their predecessors did in the era of independence from colonial rule. In addition to the town hall meeting with the President, the forum will include small-group discussions on topics such as transparency and accountability, job creation and entrepreneurship, rights advocacy, and the use of technology to empower individuals and communities. African participants will have an opportunity to meet with grassroots service organizations to share experiences and strategies.
As the President said in Accra, the future of Africa is up to Africans. The U.S. government’s role in this gathering is as a convener, encouraging networks between young American and African leaders, and pursuing lasting partnerships on behalf of our common security and prosperity. This dialogue and follow-up events in Africa will help the U.S. government better assess how to support Africa’s own aspirations going forward.
Amongst the delegates is a young community activist in Togo, Koffi Amegbo Nomedji, who believes that his participation in President Obama’s Forum with Young African Leaders will spur his work in developing his homeland.
“I will build strong relationships with other young African leaders, and from them I will learn to increase youth involvement in public affairs,” he told America.gov. “I hope to empower queens [women leaders] in rural communities to apply democracy and to lead … their communities to enforce women’s rights. In the long term, I expect a real partnership between the United States and my country to promote a wide range of programs in education and reform in sectors like health and agriculture,” he added.
Nomedji, program director of a nonprofit, ALAFIA, focuses particular attention on improving the lives of widows and their children in rural villages. Traditionally, widows are forced to undergo months of enforced mourning without engaging in farming or trading after the passing of their husbands. Following the mandated period of bereavement, widows typically are pressured to marry male relatives of their late husbands, according to Nomedji. The months of inactivity during mourning leave the widows and their children impoverished, and the forced marriages increase the widows’ exposure to HIV/AIDS, Nomedji added.
Another candidate is a young Sierra Leonean working to improve his nation by strengthening civil society and job. Donald Kalokoh is the Sierra Leone country representative for Youth Action International, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) working to empower women and youths to reach their full economic and social potential.
He also serves as speaker of the Mano River Union Youth Parliament’s Sierra Leone chapter. The Youth Parliament is a network of young people who advocate for peace, human rights and the empowerment of youth in the countries of the Mano River Union.
Kalokoh is one of approximately 110 African youth leaders who were recently nominated by their local U.S. embassies to attend the Young African Leaders forum, which features a town hall-style meeting with President Obama.
Kalokoh, who holds a diploma in community development and certificate in human rights from the African Institute of Management, Governance and Development (AIMDG) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, told America.gov, “My vision for the future of Sierra Leone is to have a country where there is equal employment opportunity, good governance, no corruption, and economic prosperity, a situation where young people would be regarded as leaders of today and not leaders in waiting.”
“It has always been my dream to meet with President Obama, whom I consider a ‘living monument’ of Africa,” Kalokoh said. “I am looking forward to gaining a lot of inspiration from the forum because it will offer me an opportunity to articulate the views and expectations of young people in Sierra Leone and the West Africa region which my leadership has offered me the opportunity to learn and experience.”
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A pictorial re visit of the Inauguration;
Praises Reign at the 5-Day 50th Celebration of Toyin Afolabi
DALLAS – You need not marvel at the number of days scheduled for this golden jubilee celebration. Only after you’ve heard her testimony that you’ll wonder why it’s not even a month long activity packed session. For the celebrant; Anthonia Oluwatoyin Afolabi, her 50th birthday is all about giving praise to the almighty and doing what she knows best; giving back to the community.
DAY 1– All the testimonials had one thing in common as an attribute for Toyin Afolabi; which is her addictive ability to give and give more. Pastor Adetoro of RCCG bread of life parish where the inaugural thanksgiving service held, gave an exaltation on the values of using time wisely and pointed out that Toyin Afolabi from her antecedence is one to emulate on the know how of the “value of Time”.
Tuesday the 27th of July 2010 is the actual birthday of Toyin Afolabi and she has held it as a tradition to reverence on that date. Friends, clients and well wishers took time off their busy schedules to make the thanksgiving service a joyous occasion. Trendy Africa counts itself blessed to be part of this historic celebration as it becomes the longest most consistent golden jubilee celebration in its archives.
DAY 2– It’s the second phase of the celebrations and there is almost a plug in the wheel of activities. The plug was eliminated to pave way for a stream of guests in casual evening attires. The disco reception was a relaxing event as well as a great social mixer. The celebrant spotted three attires; two traditional and one English. She was joined at the Ventura ballroom by mostly youths whom she had mentored over the years. There was a combination of snacks, fruits and drinks to make the evening a refreshing one.
DAY 3– Not even the smouldering atmospheric temperatures of about 105 degrees fahrenheit prevented children and their parents from the fun that Toyin Afolabi had put together to mark the third day in the series of her birthday celebrations. The horse rides, the clowns, the bouncers, the grill, the ice cones and several other thrilling entrapment’s kept the picnic participants on the grounds of the RCCG bread of Life sprawling property. My endodermic layers acted like photochromic lenses and even got darker. Another successful event for a celebrant who is really loved by many.
DAY 4 – The evening was warm but the soothing effect of Toyin Afolabi’s kindness was a heat quencher as an inflow of an unprecedented crowd began to arrive the Harry Hines venue of the pinnacle in a series of celebrations. The celebrant was exceptionally radiant even after she narrated to me the harrowing experience of the week.
The special celebration was a carnival that was attended by the smartest and brightest in Dallas. The show of love and unity was one that has never been experienced in recent memory. The food was appealing and even overflowing; a feeling that radiated the presence of Christ.
DAY 5 – All is well that ends well. The testimonies, the compliments, the eulogy and the joy all accumulated to a befitting end of a five day 50th birthday celebration for Toyin Afolabi. The Flame of Fire Healing Center Ministries International offered an atmosphere of revelation and soul lifting experience. There was more dancing and praise just as the celebrant exhibited what she enjoys doing best; GIVING! and so she did even as she personally cut and shared the entire birthday cake to all that participated in the GRAND FINALE.
Photos and documentary by Tosan Aduayi and Chibuzor Okonta for Trendy Africa Media, USA.
Westchester plays host to the Uzamere and Gugliemella Wedding
WESTCHESTER, NY – The array of private jets parked at the moderately sized White Plains New York airport reveal the atmosphere of opulence. This is further confounded by our chauffeur as he points out the corporate headquarters of multi billion dollar corporations. Such include; Mastercard, IBM, JP Morgan and the presence of the Rockefeller’s Kykuit Mansion owned by America’s wealthiest family.
The city choice of the Uzamere and Gugliemella wedding is one that surely fits into the profile of the humble couple. The gift bags carefully arranged behind the reception slab at the Renaissance Westchester hotel reveal some of the details that characterize the planning process of this nuptial. The wedding; another exclusive fusion of cultures captured by Trendy Africa is set for much more display of paying attention to details.
The United Kingdom and its array of unique artistry had roles to play at this classic wedding. The bride had visited the UK twice to fit her exclusively custom detailed gown tailored by renowned and award winning Nigerian born designer; Adebayo Jones. He was present at the wedding to ensure that his creations fitted perfectly. Also form the UK, Jimmy Choo couture ensured that the shoes were much more aligned than that of Cinderella as he personally signed off on his custom creation. The shoe, gown and hat were all fused with french chantilly lace with hundreds of hand fitted crystals placed on each of them.
The ostrich feathered hat was also a UK brand and was created by a Nigerian born milliner; Lyze Bamigbola-Silas of Lyze Hats. The classic white Rolls Royce rolled the bride to church in style just as other limousines ferried the bridal party. The V.I.P country club played host to the upscale reception. There was enough canapes to feed a carnival at the cocktail hour. The choice of meals during the reception is another chapter in this fairytale nuptial but one thing was for sure; the couple got it right. The music cross over from the live band and the Deejay was in perfect harmony. Fun? too much. The grooms family had some more opportunity to witness the rich Bini culture as portrayed by a performing cultural group.
Let me mention some more details. Each guest had a personalized name tag on the assigned table. Natural roses with the stem in place formed part of the take home gifts. Wait for this; each guest also got personalized key chains with their names engraved on each chain. The grooms men were presented with gift bags bearing their initials. The selected photos will give some more insight.
Photo and documentary by Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa Media.
Women Lawyers of Tarrant County host Annual "Hotter than July" Fundraiser.
FORT WORTH – The Black Women Lawyers Association of Tarrant County hosted its annual “hotter than July” scholarship fundraiser at the YWCA building in Fort Worth, Texas. The Fundraiser featured the L. Clifford Davis Legal Excellence Award and the Ruth E. Roberts Community Service Award presentation.
The event which was literally hotter than July based on the capacity crowd in attendance was characterized by great fun including silent auction’s and gate prices. The Honorable Dallas County District Attorney; Craig Watkins was the recipient of the 2010 L. Clifford Davis Legal Excellence Award while Martin Sutton; an air traffic controller received the Ruth E. Roberts community service Award.
The Black Women Lawyers Association of Tarrant County is a non-profit organization which serves its community through various programs such as Adopt-a-school, National Law Program and its annual scholarship fundraiser, “Hotter than July”.
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Documentary by Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa Media.
P Square dubbed Best African Act on the Planet at Maryland Show
MARYLAND – Harry Nwozo of Tribe X entertainment could not hide his excitement and satisfaction over the exhilarating performance put up by P Square at the Maryland, USA concert. Below are statements he released just after the successful concert;
The show was simply incredible!! Folks, thank you for coming out to support and attend one of the greatest performances by an African act I have ever witnessed. Thanks to the investors, the Promotional Teams, C & C, MOI Inc, Amarachi Ent, Best of Fly Musik, the P Square Management team & JTON for working with us to make sure everything went as well as it could. Thanks to Promoters DMK, IDOA, Belle Dames and other (don’t have all the names, please forgive me). To Ms Joi’s Team of ushers that did a great job with seating arrangements, Bisi of Africa in Demand who also did a fantastic job as the MC.
Special, Special thanks to my Tribe X Street Team, my wife Tee, Ikenna, Adaora Igbo, Chi Chi Nappy Roots, and Nonso Ojikafor for going over and beyond the call of duty to sell advance tickets far and wide..Tee helping me with behind the scenes projects concerning VIP’s etc. Shout out to all the other Street Teams involved in this remarkable event. Thanks to all our VIP’s for the patience and understanding when things got a little challenging….all the VIP’s who came out to the pre party and waited for P Square to show up. Thank You! They came through and had an organized photo session with every single VIP member.
Thanks to all the opening acts. You guys did a fantastic job!!! Well done!! Thanks to all the DJ’s that participated especially DJ Smooth! Good job bro!
Thanks to all the Media, who covered the event and those who helped with the press releases especially Trendy Africa, AMC, Jamati, Seun, & Chrissy. Thanks to all of those that attended the Africa against Cancer Walk a Thon the morning of the concert…your contributions will help save lives…literally. Thank you.
Thanks to Jude, Peter and Paul Okoye for being humble, kind and very respectful. When I first met them in New York a few weeks ago for the Media day I was not sure what to expect. These guys are very humble folks who are making Africa proud. They are, in my modest opinion, the best African act on the planet. I will go as far as saying that there are hundreds of top American/Yankee acts that are incapable of putting up an astonishing performance or coming even close to P Square’s level when it comes to performing and stage presence! These guys are simply the BEST out of Africa. Bar None.
Special Thanks to all the Haters, Naysayers, Bad Belle people who tried to poison the mind of C & C Promotions and MOI Inc not to work with Tribe X Entertainment…..who eventually abandoned the entire project leaving Tribe X Entertainment as the only Nigerian Marketing and Promotions team to work with the investors (not from Nigeria) to promote Nigeria and Africa’s biggest act: P Square. Shame on you.
C & C Promotions (Mohamed) and MOI Inc (Dan)-who are both FROM Sierra Leone-who stood their ground and pledged to work with Harry Baba and Tribe X Entertainment as the only Nigerian Marketing and Promotions Team involved in the P Square Project. Thankfully Amarachi & Mr. Best of Fly Musik Group, both from Nigeria, came on board and in fact became major players that contributed heavily to the success of this event. In fact without them this event would not have been at the level it was. God is good all the time.
Photos by George Akoji and Dami Odetola for Trendy Africa Media.
The 3-day Golden Jubilee Celebration of Helen Famuwagun-Oloye
DALLAS – It’s Day one; “Ankara Nite” as it has been dubbed, and the action spot is in Arlington, Texas. It’s a thursday evening in hot July and guests arrive from distant locations including UK and Nigeria. They have all converged in Texas for the 50th birthday celebration of Mrs. Helen Famuwagun-Oloye.
Amazing as it seems, guests who just met Helen within 24hrs had Lot’s of great things to say about her character including kindness and her lovable nature. Helen says her 50th birthday is worth celebrating especially as she looks back to the first 50 years of her life and all the trials and tribulation that has manifested.
They say when the elephants fight, the grass suffers. In this case, when the guests really got down to the tunes provided by DJ Daddy Cool from Houston, the grass really suffered. It was such a fun first night.
Day 2: Pastor Kunle Okere of the CAC Mount Zion Church in Irving Texas delivered a soul inspiring sermon as the birthday girl and over 100 guests who turned up for the church and thanksgiving service listened with rapt attention. African culture was exhibited to the max by guests who were clad in rich attires and matching aso oke.
Later at night, a super disco session evolved into a carnival with friends and family coming together for one big reunion. The black and white themed party revealed some cool dance steps and great dress sense especially with the combined mix of just two prevailing colors. I tell you, it was such great fun especially with music from the seventies blaring through pro sound systems specially ordered from Atlanta.
Day 3: The attendance can best be described as “capacity crowd”. Reserved seats were quickly occupied by unreserved guests. Extra tables and seats had to be provided. The interesting observation about the grand finale of Helen’s 50th extravaganza is that 75% of the guests invested not less than $700 to attend as most arrived by air from distant cities in the USA and countries across the oceans. The love and appreciation showered on the celebrant seemed to be endless. The imposing cake on the “royal stage” proved that the event was a testimony of a well orchestrated plan to make this celebration one to remember.
Documentary by Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa Media.
Kenya Shines at the 2010 Miss Face of Africa Texas
DALLAS – The Irving Arts center was a beehive of activities at the just concluded Miss Face of Africa Texas pageant. The concept which has been developed and managed by the young and dynamic duo of Kobi Appiah and Nana Osei proved to be one that could create a healthy inter cultural relationship amongst the extremely diverse African community in Texas.
The successful event was hosted by the pair of Landry Addo and Scharles Konadu who added great value by their professional dexterity. More than 15 African countries were represented at the Miss Face of Africa Texas event.
Tina Chege from Kenya was crowned the winner while Kirsten Bosilikwa; Congo, Nana Buadu;Ghana and Sarah Kimfila; Rwanda emerged first, second and third runner up respectively. Other winners of the event include Ms Photogenic which went to Nana Buadu of Ghana and Ms Congeniality which also went to Anthea Appiah of Ghana.
Miss Face of Africa Texas Pageant is centered on community, humanity and service. The pageant aims to close the gap between African communities in the great state of Texas and abroad. The Pageant aims to provide scholarship funds and encourage Africans in America to embrace their culture.
Photo by Chibuzor Okonta; Executive Editor and Omosede Eke for Trendy Africa Media. Trendy Africa is the official media partner to Miss Face of Africa Texas and promotes the rich African culture through its media in the Diaspora.
Laughter Reigned at the LWKMD Comedy show
Maryland – The LWKMD comedy show surpassed it’s billing. With the best of African comedians in the house, it was bound to deliver. The team at Musicom entertainment surely proved that Africans can surely make it happen.
Wale Gates, Jedi, Seyi brown, Julius Agwu, Basket Mouth and Yvonne Orji; all A-list comedians gave their all to the delight of guests who got their full money’s worth and extra. The Maryland, USA show is the first in a series of a comedy tour that will feature LWKMD in several major cities in the USA.
World renowned musical entertainers; PCE Crew also gave it out to the audience with their energetic stage perfromances while DJ Don X did his thing. Great show! Trendy Africa is proud to be a MEDIA PARTNER to LWKMD. Watch out for exclusive reports in Trendy Africa Magazine.
Photos by George Akoji of George Akoji photography for Trendy Africa
Mrs. Queen Enabulete Celebrates 73rd Birthday in Dallas
DALLAS- Various indigenous groups in the DFW metropolis came out to join and support the Enabulete family at the great birthday celebration of Mrs. Queen Enabulete.
The event which was primarily hosted by the celebrants children in the USA namely; Pat Enabulete, Abbey Enabulete and Ikponwosa Enabulete was characterised by cultural dance groups dancers, great food and drinks. More photos will be available soon.
by Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa
Ifeolu Ogunleye and Elizabeth Montez: a cross cultural fusion
DALLAS – Nigerians and Mexicans are united once again in holy matrimony as witnessed at the Ogunleye and Montez upscale wedding. The choice of the Hilton Anatole in central Dallas and its eye catchy aesthetics created an atmosphere of glamour and class.
The traditional marriage which consists of the introduction and engagement featured qualities of the rich Yoruba culture just as the brides family looked on and participated with keen interest.
The Village Church Dallas nuptial event was brisk and emotionally joyous. The reception that followed was a concert of fun with well over 800 guests enjoying the canapes and every other moment of the great occasion. Watch out for more exclusive coverage in Trendy Africa Magazine.
Aso Oke, Hand Fans, Letters of Proposal and Acceptance by – Oluremi Enterprises, 5 Benin Close, Agbara Estate, Agbara, Ogun State, Nigeria. Tel: +234 803 432 2902
Bride and Bridal train engagement dresses by – Davinci Enterprises, 27 Oritshe street, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. Tel: +234 803 321 7593
Bridal Party facials and Head wraps (Gele) – Segun Olaleye of Segun Gele Int’l, Houston, Texas. Tel: 832 247 7193
Engagement Cake designer – Executive Pastry, Satin Slices, Houston, Texas. Tel: +1 832 647 8532
Documentary by Tosan Aduayi for Trendy Africa Media and facilitated by Segun Olaleye of Segun Gele Int’l.
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