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Nigerian Takes Zobo to International Trade Show in North Carolina

September 18, 2013, 10:14 am
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Nigerian Takes Zobo to International Trade Show in North Carolina


Mr. Kehinde Olajide, President and CEO of Hemisphere Beverages—makers of ZOBO exhibited the Nigerian hibiscus drink at “The DISCOVER 2013” international trade event, hosted by the North Carolina District Export Council and the U.S. Commercial Service Global Business Forum, in Raleigh, NC, Sept. 16-18.


"The DISCOVER 2013 event is an excellent opportunity to showcase ZOBO hibiscus drink to numerous international markets in one setting. The tradeshow, exhibits and business matchmaking sessions will allow us to present ZOBO to international buyers from around the world at one time," said Mr. Olajide.
The three-day event was open to companies and individuals with an interest in international market development.


DISCOVER 2013 is a premier conference for U.S.-based companies that want to explore new export market development strategies, discuss innovative tools to be competitive, and learn about the next wave of rapidly growing markets.


ZOBO also exhibited at the "A Taste of North Carolina" networking reception on Tuesday, Sept. 17, allowing DISCOVER 2013 attendees, buyers and purchasing managers to sample and purchase the product for possible distribution and exporting to international markets. Some of the nations at the event included representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Nigeria, South Africaand the United Kingdom.
Made from all-natural hibiscus, ZOBO is caffeine free and has 100 percent of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C. ZOBO has no empty calories, no additives and no preservatives. ZOBO currently offers seven flavors suitable for hot or cold drink consumption: Original, LemonLime, Vanilla, Pineapple, Strawberry, Ginger and Ginger Mint tea.


Headquartered in Durham, NC, Hemisphere Beverages manufactures and distributes ZOBO and other refreshing "all natural" beverages with high nutritional values. For more information, visit www.ZoboLove.com, or contact V.K. Fields& Co. Public Relations PROS at (919) 829-5951 or email info@vkfields.com. 


SOURCE ZOBO
CONTACT: V.K. Fields & Co. Public Relations PROS, (919) 829-5951, info@vkfields.com
Web Site: http://www.ZoboLove.com

 


 
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Education for All: Holly Gordon, 10x10: The Girls Education Project

September 19, 2013, 10:32 am
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10TH Abuja Internatronal Film Festival Focuses on National Security

September 20, 2013, 10:11 am
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Opening Ceremony Programme:
Venue: Silverbird Cinemas Abuja, Date: 24th September, 2013
Screenings : 9am - 5pm
Red Carpet: 5pm -6pm
National Anthem: 6.05pm
Introduction of Dignitaries:  6.10 – 6.20pm
Welcome Address By: Festival Director :6.25 – 6.35pm
Keynote by DG SEC Ms. Aruma Otteh : 6.35 – 6.50pm
Keynote Address by Hon Min of Culture & Tourism High Chief Edem Duke: 6.50 – 7.20pm
Declaring Open the Film Festival by Hon Minister of FCT Senator Bala Mohammed CON – 7.20 – 7.30pm
Goodwill Messages: 7.30 – 7.50pm
Cutting of the 10th Anniversary CAKE: 7.50 – 8.00pm
Opening Nite Short Film:  8.00pm – 8.30pm
Vote of Thanks/Close:  8.30pm 


 10TH ABUJA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL - 2013 NOMINEES LIST

Best Feature Film(Foreign)
1. Storm Warriors-China,
2. Agnus Dei- Kosovo,
3. Andalusia my love-Morocco,
4. Sunnyside-Bulgaria,
5. Sujet-Canada.

Best Short Film(NIG)
1. Scandalous Mercy-Peter Thompson,
2. Paradox-Desmond Elliot,
3. Ogondah- Williis Ikedum.
4. Survival-Seun Oloketuyi.

Best Short Film(Foreign).
1.Malice&Pencils-Uk/Nig ,
2.Francois First Day- France,
3.D Dock of Destiny-Morocco,
4, Growing Up- Abu Dhabi.

Best Documentary Film.
1.D Phoenicians-Malta,
2.D Court-Germany,
3.Rolling Dollar-Nig.,
4.D Truth Be Told-Nig. ,
5.Daughters of Niger Delta- Nig.
 
Best Experimental Film -
1.Jand Hustle - Ehizojie Ojesebholo,
2.Dread- Agbo Kelly,
3.Patroit- Agbo Kelly,
4.I-Games- Alexandra Hull.

 
Best Animation Film.
1.Romance of Woodman Liu Hiu-Çhina.
2.Protect Us-Nigeria
3. Reality 2.0 - Germany.

Best Feature Film (NIG).
1. Aiyekoto- Adebayo Tijani,
2. Next President- Desmond Elliot,
3. TORN-Moses Inwang,
4. When Dreams Fall Apart-Chico Ejiro,
5. Save D Children-Magnus Edet,
6. Brothers Keeper-Ikechuchwu Onyeka,
7. Lies Men Tell- Uche Jumbo.

Outstanding Comic film :
1. The Nanny(Nig),
2. A Wish(Nig),
3. Francois First Day(France),
4. Lost on Journey(China),
5. scandalous mercy(Nig).

Outstanding Male Act.
1.Blossom Chukwujeku - Finding Mercy,
2.Desmond Elliot-Lies Men Tell.
3.Prince Ossei- Off the Hook,
4.Majid Mitchel -Brothers Keeper,
5.Chester Osagie- Mission To Mamuro,
6. Odunlade Adekola- Mufu Olosa Oko
 
Outstanding Female Act:.
1.Uche Jumbo-Lies Men Tell,
2.Charity Ofem- Save the Children,
3. Banke Amole- Adams-Mission To Mamuro,
4. Jackie Appiah-Off The Hook,
5. Omoni Oboli- Blue Flames.

Outstanding Film in Directing-:
1.Aiyekoto(Nig)
2.Pencils&Malice(UK/NIG)
3.Brothers Keeper(Nig)
4. Next. President(Nig)
5.Line of Sight(Jordan)
6. Storm Warriors(China).
 
Golden Jury Award :
1.Brothers Keeper(Nig)
2.Next President(Nig)
3.Malice&Pencils(UK)
4.Storm Warriors(China)
5.The Phoenicians(Malta)
 

 
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The African Film Festival of Cordoba, 10 Years Breaking Stereotypes

September 21, 2013, 1:58 am
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Córdoba, 20th September 2013.
The African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT returns from the 11th to the 19th of October in order to celebrate its 10th anniversary, striving for the contribution to a better understanding of the neighbouring continent through its film culture. In this tenth edition – the second one in Cordoba after eight years in Tarifa (Cadiz) –, Cordoba cements its place as the only Spanish platform showcasing African and Middle Eastern cinemas.

FCAT Cordoba, organised by the NGOD Al Tarab with the sponsorship of the City Council of Cordoba, Magtel Corp. and Instituto Halal, will screen during one week over 66 films from or on Africa made by 31 different countries. This will be completed by a series of activities implying all audiences and professionals, spread across the city.

The mayor of Cordoba, José Antonio Nieto, has highlighted in the press conference that the FCAT Cordoba “is not a festival seeking for glamour, the yellow press or the big stars”. Instead it aims at “reinforcing the relation between the city of Cordoba and Africa, which is very close geographically speaking but very far away in our mind and heart”.



“Sometimes”, he has added, “it is a good idea to be directly exposed to Africa in order to better understand”, and this is possible through a festival like this. The achievement of organising this event has been quite hard, however, it presents even more quality than the last edition, which already engaged an audience composed of over 13,000 spectators. “This festival places Cordoba at the centre of the world of African and Arab cinema”.

Mane Cisneros, Director of the festival, has claimed that the FCAT makes its tenth anniversary with a more limited budget – 200,000€ instead the 270,000€ of the last edition -. However, “this austerity does not hamper the professionalism and quality of the cultural proposal”.

Cisneros has anticipated that there will be a strong presence of North African young filmmakers, “who have already had the time to take into perspective what has been going on in this area”, in relation to the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. She has also insisted on the high number of premiers at the festival, since “fortunately or unfortunately, we keep struggling to convince Spanish distributors that these cinemas can have a commercial release in our country”.


Love for cinema
For the celebration of its tenth anniversary, the African Film Festival of Cordoba has organised a special retrospective film category. It works as a review of over fifty years of African cinemas, consisting on a selection of 10 films revolving about love.

The category, named ’10 Fragments of an African Discourse on Love” is not just an anthropologic analysis on love practices and desire manifestations in Africa, but also, a whole statement of intentions by the FCAT organisation. This is the year for the 10th anniversary since a collective of people shared their love for African cinemas under the shape of a film festival, becoming hence a unique initiative in Spain.

The festival programme is divided into eight sections, being three of them competitive. The three competitive categories, The African Dream (feature length films), On the Other Side of the Strait (documentary films) and Africa in Short (feature and documentary short films) will include a total number of 27 titles.

In addition to this, the non-competitive categories are Pandora’s Box (films on Africa made by Western filmmakers), Africa in Rhythm (on African dance and music), Carte Blanche to the EDOC (taking as to the International Festival of Documentary Film of Quito through a selection of five films on afrodescendants) and the already mentioned 10 Fragments of an African Discourse on Love. Finally, there will be a series of special sessions to be added to these two official and non-official selections.

The 10th African Film Festival of Cordoba will bring to the cinemas of the capital a selective show comprising 31 different countries. It is worth mentioning the strong participation of North African titles, made in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia; as well as that of sub-Saharan titles, with film productions from Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa, one of the most established film industries in the continent.

Similarly there will be non African countries represented, including, Germany, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Portugal, Qatar, Dem. Rep. Congo, Trinidad and Tobago.

Cinema as an industry
One again, FCAT Espacio Profesional is aimed at the promotion of mutual knowledge and the collaboration among the professionals of this field in Africa, Spain and beyond. The professionals involved will meet from the 15th to the 18th October at Casa Árabe, during the 5th Forum ‘África Produce’ and a series of conferences and round tables. An additional element to be considered is the Film Appetizers, a more informal environment of discussion among filmmakers, journalists, audiences, and thus a great opportunity to discuss in-depth the films included in the competitive categories of the festival.

Among the parallel activities at FCAT, a special mention lies on the organisation of the course-workshop on Film Criticism for young professionals. This workshop offers an introduction to the theory and practice of Film Criticism and Cultural Communications, and is conducted by the acclaimed film reviewer Alfonso Crespo, with invited experts as tutors, such as Beatriz Leal Riesco and Olivier Barlet, among others.

Parallel Activities
FCAT Cordoba is not just about the venues for the screening of films, as the wide range of parallel activities shows. There will be a story-teller during the afternoons, screenings in different municipalities, a photography exhibition by Javier Hirschfeld called Malagorée: de puerto a puerto. Arte malagueño de ida y vuelta [Malagorée: from port to port. Art from Málaga to go and return], and meetings with different NGOs in the city.

An innovative aspect of this edition, if the involvement of the volunteering team, composed of eighty people. They have been organising activities prior to the festival, such as the educational sessions, the screening of a video made by them in the centre of under-eighteen people and the meeting of volunteers with entrepreneurs.

Venues of the festival
The venues where the festival will take place are Teatro Góngora, Casa Áraba, Vimcorsa, the cultural centre Rey Heredia Veintidós and Instituto Andaluz de la Juventud (Andalusian Youth Institute).

Tickets sale
This year, the tickets to the screenings can be purchased at the tickets box office of the different venues, which will open to the audience one hour prior to the screening. Additionally, there will be three kinds of ticket deals – one-day pass, festival pass, and discounted pass for students, unemployed and people aged over 65. All passes will be available for sale at the tickets box office of Teatro Góngora. The festival pass will also be available for sale at Fuentes Guerra.

Private sponsors
The enterprise from Cordoba, Magtel, which has been working in Africa for years, is part of the sponsors of FCAT Cordoba. Another private sponsor is Halal Institute, an entity that manages the guaranteed brand Halal for products and services for enterprises and entities aimed at audiences practising Islam, in Spain, the UE and for the exportation of Andalusian and Spanish to Muslim countries. FCAT Cordoba will also count on the economic support of Maya Real, a Catalan enterprise focused on cultural projects.

The Counsellor of Magtel, Isidro López Magdaleno, has informed during the press conference that the enterprise has been in Africa for years, with an office in Casablanca (Morocco). He will be sponsoring the Award of the festival. “It is a honour to help the festival” for the first time, and “hopefully it will not be the last one”, he has added.
Isabel Romero, Director of Halal Institute, has stated through their symbolic support, the enterprise is trying to “contribute and create further synergies for the promotion of links with our closest neighbours”.

DOSSIER DE PRENSA
http://www.fcat.es/descargas/Press_Dossier_English.pdf

POSTER FCAT CORDOBA 2013
http://goo.gl/exRXNo

VIDEO MAKING OFF FCAT POSTER:
http://goo.gl/kBawCu

PRESS REQUESTS:
http://www.fcat.es/FCAT/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421&Itemid=11


National Media Office:
María José Martín
Tel.: +34 659 80 88 16
gabineteprensa@fcat.es

International Media Office:
Estrella Sendra
Tel.: +34 667 39 26 13
media@fcat.es



 
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New Poll: Parents Remain Gloomy About America's Future While Teens Feel Confident

September 21, 2013, 5:45 am
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African American teens. Photo Credit: Your Black World


20 September 2013 12:30 Africa/Lagos


New Poll: Parents Remain Gloomy About America's Future While Teens Feel Confident

American Adults Believe Today's Children Have Fewer Prospects and Opportunities, though Teens Remain Optimistic about the Future, according to the Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- New data from the quarterly Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll shows an American public that overwhelmingly believes childhood and parenthood were better for earlier generations, with 79 percent of poll respondents saying it was better to have been a child when they were young.



Watch a live briefing on key findings from the latest Heartland Monitor Poll today at 8:30 a.m. ET, at http://www.nationaljournal.com/events, featuring Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee.


The most recent Heartland Monitor shows that Americans are deeply uncertain about the prospects for today's children. A majority (68 percent) of respondents believe that when today's children are adults, they'll have less financial security, with a poorer chance of holding a steady job and owning a home without too much debt. Almost the same percentage (62 percent) believes their children will have less opportunity to achieve a comfortable retirement. Overall, Heartland XVIII delivers a downbeat vision from parents and non-parents alike, who believe that today's children will display less patriotism, work ethic, and civic responsibility than today's adults.


Yet, in the face of this intense pessimism on the part of adults, teenagers are much more optimistic and clearly feel the older generations have it wrong. For the first time, the Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll also surveyed high school teenagers ages 13-18, and found an optimistic view of the economy: More than half of the teens surveyed (54 percent) say they believe it's better to be a teenager today than it was when their parents were growing up. A plurality (45 percent) believe that when they are their parents' age, they will have more opportunity to get ahead than the previous generation. Just 24 percent of teens say they will have less opportunity.


"The world looks to America as a beacon of hope to realize one's dreams. While we see pessimism in this poll, the younger generation feels a sense of optimism about the future," said Sanjay Gupta, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Allstate. "These findings reinforce a challenging backdrop, but the optimism of the younger generation gives us hope in the enduring American dream."


The 18th quarterly Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll digs into the increased concerns about the country's political direction and the economy. American adults say that opportunities for a quality education, access to health care, fair treatment, adequate play time, and sufficient love and attention are accessible to some, but are not guaranteed for the average American child.


This negative view of the future parallels a noticeable chilling of the national mood, with a high percentage (64 percent) of Americans believing that the country is on the wrong track. President Obama's approval rating has hit a low (40 percent), as has that of Congress (13 percent), since this poll's first installment in April 2009. Almost half of Americans (47 percent) say that the Obama administration's actions decrease the opportunity for them to get ahead, the highest percentage since the poll began asking the question in April 2009. Respondents are relatively split on whether the economy will improve (28 percent), become worse (31 percent), or stay the same (36 percent) over the next 12 months.


In the area of education, more teens than adults consider college a worthy investment. While over half of adult respondents (53 percent) still believe the average four-year college education is a ticket to the middle class, and that a degree helps people get good jobs and build successful careers,  a full 39 percent view college as an economic burden. Teenagers, meanwhile, feel that college is a good investment for the future (86 percent), rather than an unnecessary expense that is not worth it (14 percent).


In other areas of the poll, a large majority (69 percent) of adults polled believe parents are too busy with work and their own personal lives to spend enough time with their children or to give them the attention they need to learn and grow.


"The operative definition of the American Dream is that each generation will live better than its predecessor," added Ronald Brownstein, editorial director of Atlantic Media. "The latest Heartland Monitor survey shows how much the sustained economic slowdown has frayed that expectation among average Americans. While the poll shows that most Americans believe the country is still providing kids with many of the necessary ingredients for success—particularly a quality education—it captures a widespread fear that the economy simply won't provide as many opportunities to future generations as Americans remember from when they were young."


Key findings from the 18th Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll are also available via PDF.  Additional information on the entire polling series can be found at: http://www.theheartlandvoice.com/category/insights.


Key Findings
1. Americans overwhelmingly believe that today's children and parents are facing more difficulties and challenges than previous generations.
  • 79 percent of Americans believe it was better to have been a child when they were young while just 16 percent of American adults believe it is better to be a child in America today.
  • 75 percent believe it was better to be a parent when they were growing up, while just 19 percent of Americans think it is better to be a parent in America today.
  • This sentiment is remarkably consistent across demographic lines, including age, education, and income.
    • More than half of teens surveyed (54 percent) say it's better to be a teenager today than it was when their parents were growing up (46 percent).
    • Teens are less positive about the state of parenthood today - 40 percent think it is better to be a parent today than it was when their own parents were growing up (60 percent).
    • Overall, Americans overwhelmingly believe that today's children face more challenges (66 percent) than opportunities (25 percent).
2. Looking forward, Americans remain concerned about opportunities and achievement for the next generation.
  • Just 20 percent of Americans believe that today's children will have more opportunity to get ahead when they are grown, compared to 45 percent who fear that today's children will have less opportunity, and 30 percent believe they will have about the same level.
    • Today, fewer Americans believe their children will have more opportunities to get ahead than did so a year ago. In September 2012, the Heartland Monitor showed that 32 percent of Americans believed the next generation will have more opportunities, while 32 percent believed they will have less.
  • Young adults ages 18-29 are the most optimistic, but just 31 percent believe that today's children will have more opportunity when they are grown, a 12-point decline since last September.
  • Today's teens are more hopeful about their future opportunities, with 45 percent believing they will have more opportunity than their parents had, 24 percent believing they will have less opportunity.
  • Thinking about the achievements and activities of their own generation, Americans believe today's children will not quite measure up on a number of factors:
    • 68 percent think that today's children will have less financial security;
    • 65 percent think they will have less patriotism and pride in their country;
    • 63 percent think they will have less work ethic and professional motivation;
    • 62 percent think they will have less financial freedom and the ability to afford luxuries;
    • 53 percent think they will have less financial responsibility;
    • 48 percent think they will have less civic and community responsibility.
3. Americans are conflicted on policy approaches related to the cost of raising children and college education.
  • When considering the idea of shared societal responsibility and sacrifice as it relates to assisting parents and children, a slight majority of Americans express hesitation about asking businesses and non-parents to contribute too much.
    • 51 percent believe that "while the country should be supportive of children and young families, raising those children is the responsibility of the parents." 
    • 42 percent think that "the entire country has a shared responsibility to invest more in children and young families."
  • When told the average cost of cost of raising a child totals more than $240,000:
    • 60 percent say that the best approach to making parenting more affordable is "lowering taxes."
    • 34 percent prefer "increasing public spending" on programs like pre-K, public education, child care, health care and college tuition.
  • More than half of Americans see college as a ticket to the middle class (53 percent) rather than an economic burden (39 percent).
  • Teenagers overwhelmingly believe that college is "a good investment for the future" (86 percent) rather than an "unnecessary expense that is not worth it" (14 percent).
  • Fewer than half of parents with school-age children think it's realistic that they will be able to pay for college education for themselves or their children.
4. This poll shows a decline in the American political environment and a fading confidence in President Obama and the economy.
  • Just a quarter of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, a slippage from the 30 percent we measured in May/June. Half of Democrats (50 percent) and only 45 percent of African-Americans now believe things are headed in the right direction.
  • President Obama's job approval sits at 40 percent, down from 48 percent in May/June and the lowest we've measured across 18 Heartland Monitor polls.
  • Just 13 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, even lower than the 17 percent we measured in May/June.
  • 47 percent of Americans now believe that the Obama administration will decrease opportunity for people like them to get ahead. This is the high-water mark for this measure of pessimism, up from 43 percent in April and 40 percent in May/June.
  • Just 28 percent believe the economy will improve 12 months from now, the lowest we've measured from 44 percent last November to 34 percent in April and 37 percent in May/June.
5. Americans continue to occupy a "middle ground" between optimism and concern regarding their personal financial situation.
  • 44 percent rate their own personal financial situation as excellent or good, compared to 49 percent in May/June 2013.
  • 43 percent expect their financial situation to improve by this time next year, a slight decline from 47 percent in May/June but notably higher than the 36 percent measured in April 2013.
  •  
Survey Methodology
Since April 2009, the quarterly Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Polls have explored American attitudes on the changing economy. The most recent Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll was conducted by FTI Consulting, from September 3-7, 2013 among N=1,000 American adults age 18+ reached via landline and cell phone as well as an online survey of American teenagers age 13-17 and 18 year olds still in high school. The margin of error for the N=1,000 telephone sample is +/- 3.1 percent.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

About National Journal
National Journal is Washington's premier source for 360-degree insight on politics and policy. With up-to-the-minute breaking news and analysis at NationalJournal.com, the essential intelligence of National Journal Daily, the knowledge and depth of National Journal magazine, and the comprehensive campaign coverage of National Journal Hotline, National Journal delivers everything you need to know to stay ahead of the curve in Washington.

About FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With over 3,900 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The Company generated $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. More information can be found at www.fticonsulting.com.

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation
CONTACT: Media Inquiries: Matthew Clark, FTI Consulting, 202-728-8766, matthew.clark@fticonsulting.com; Kate Hollcraft, Allstate Insurance Company, 847-402-5600, Kate.hollcraft@allstate.com; Natalie Raabe, The Atlantic, 202-266-7533, nraabe@theatlantic.com; Emma Angerer, National Journal, 202-266-7405, eangerer@nationaljournal.com
Web Site: http://www.allstate.com



 
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Holly Gordon Coming to Nigeria for Nigerian Premiere of "Girl Rising"

September 22, 2013, 8:39 am
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Holly Gordon of the International Documentary Group and the Executive Director of 10x10, producers of the ground breaking CNN film "Girl Rising" will be joining us in Lagos, for the Nigerian Premiere of "Girl Rising" on Friday October 11 to October 14, 2013.
The Nigerian premiere of "Girl Rising" opens on Friday October 11, 2013, at the Silverbird Cinemas, Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Intel Corporation and 10x10 aims to end gender inequality through "Girl Rising"

“By sharing the personal stories of these nine girls, 'Girl Rising' illustrates just how important education is in the movement to empower women and girls,” said Holly Gordon, 10x10’s executive director. “In an extension of our partnership with Intel, we are now working to provide decision makers in developing countries with scalable policy solutions to expand gender equity in education. This marks the next step in our commitment to change both minds and policy to positively impact girls’ lives.”

About Holly Gordon, Executive Director of 10X10.

Prior to joining TDG, Holly Gordon was Director of Content for the Tribeca Film Festival, where she managed video collection and production for the 2007 Festival. She was the executive producer of Tribeca Presents: The Best of the Festival, a broadcast highlighting the award-winning films in the 2008 Festival. Before her tenure at the Tribeca Film Festival, Holly spent 12 years at ABC News, where she worked as a producer and booker for the major news broadcasts: World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America, 20/20 and Primetime. She was an integral part of ABC’s breaking-news coverage during the weeks following the September 11th attacks. For three years, as Editorial Producer for the ABC News magazine unit, Holly managed the team responsible for identifying and booking national and international stories. Holly graduated from Brown University with a BA in International Relations.

10x10 is a social action organization seeking educational equality for underprivileged girls across the globe. Director Richard Robbins tells the moving stories of several of these girls, with help from some of the most recognizable female voices of today.


There will be a special screening of 'Girl Rising" where Holly Gordon will speak to all leaders of NGOs promoting the education of girls on Saturday October 12,.
It is a ticket event for only 235 seats and the ticket is N2,000 per seat.
For advance bookings, email: publisher@nigeriansreport.com

A portion of "Girl Rising" ticket sales go to support girls’ programs around the world through the 10x10 Fund for Girls’ Education. The Fund is distributed to 10x10’s high-impact network of non-profit partners who are working on the ground: A New Day Cambodia, CARE, Girl Up/United Nations Foundation, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Room to Read, UNICEF, and World Vision.

For more details, contact:
Publisher/Editor
Nigerians Report Online, http://www.nigeriansreport.com/
Email: publisher@nigeriansreport.com




 
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Dear Parents of Every Girl Child

September 23, 2013, 2:46 am
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"Girl Rising" will premiere in Nigeria on Friday October 11, 2013, see the details below.

Dear Parents of every girl child,
What kind of education are you giving your child?
You know your child is your future.

We want to talk to you on educating our daughters and lest we forget, our housemaids or house-girls are not left out.
You must not deprive any housemaid or house-girl of education.

The kind of education you give your housemaid or house-girl will affect and reflect in the life of your own child, because you often leave your child in the care of your housemaid or house-girl while you are at work or elsewhere and it is what she knows she will share or teach your child. So, it would be best and of great benefit to you to make sure that you don't deprive your housemaid or house-girl of a good education for the mutual benefit of your own child.
Your own daughter and the housemaid or house-girl are going to share many things in common as long as they live in the same environment and as the Laws of Harvest prove and the Word of God says, what we sow is what we shall reap sooner or later in life. So, please care and love every housemaid or house-girl as you care and love your own child. 
Don't maltreat your housemaid or house-girl lest she will also maltreat your child or become a negative influence in the upbringing of your child.

If you don't educate your housemaid or house-girl, you are only showing a bad example that will definitely harm you in the future, because our daughters regardless of their social class backgrounds are the future mothers of our nations. 





Now here are the facts you should know.



66 million girls across the world are out of school.
Globally, 1 in 5 girls of lower secondary school age is out of school
Girls’ primary school completion rates are below 50% in most poor countries.
Every year, 10 million girls are forced or coerced into marriage.
Source: Bruce, J. and S. Clark (2004), “The Implications of Early Marriage for HIV/AIDS Policy”, Brief based on backgroundpaper prepared for the WHO/UNFPA/Population Council Technical Consultation on Married Adolescents New York
Every 3 seconds, another girl is forced or coerced to marry.
Source: Plan’s ‘Breaking Vows: Early and Forced Marriage and Girls’ Education, 2011
1 in every 3 girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18.
Source: UNICEF (2011), “The State of the World’s Children 2011, Adolescence: An Age of Opportunity”, New York: UNICEF Population Council.
1 in 7 marries before they reach the age of 15.
Source: The Elders (2010), “Child Marriage”.. Accessed 24 May 2011.
150 million girls, and 73 million boys, under 18 have experienced rape or other forms of sexual violence.
Source: According to the World Health Organization based on estimates by Andrews, G., et al. 2004. “Child Sexual Abuse,” Chapter 23 in Ezzati, M., et al. 2004. Comparative Quantification of Health Risks: Global and Regional Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risk Factors. Vol. 2. WHO, Geneva: 1851-1940 and data of the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs for population under 18 years. See WHO. 2006. Global Estimates of Health Consequences due to Violence against Children. Background paper for the United Nations Study on Violence against Children. WHO, Geneva, cited in General Assembly. 2006. Report of the Independent Expert for the United Nations Study on Violence against Children.
The leading cause of death for young women aged 15-19 in developing countries is pregnancy.
Source: Because I am a Girl. The State of the World’s Girls 2009. Girls in the Global Economy: Adding It All Up, p.51. London, Plan. World Health Organization WHO, Women and Health
An extra year of secondary school increases a girl’s potential income by 15 to 25%.
Source: Psacharopoulous, G. et al. “Returns to Investment in Education: A further Update. Policy Research Working Paper 2881 (Washington, DC: World Bank 2002).
Each extra year of a mother’s schooling cuts infant mortality by between 5 and 10%.


An increase of only 1% in girls secondary education attendance, adds 0.3% to a country's GDP.

 
Holly Gordon, the Executive Director of 10x10 and Executive Producer of "Girl Rising" will be the Special Guest of Honor and Guest Speaker at the Nigerian Premiere of "Girl Rising" to celebrate the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child on Friday October 11 and also on Saturday October 12, 2013.

Come and join us to celebrate the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child on Friday October 11, 2013. And we are having the big event.
The Nigerian premiere of "Girl Rising", the phenomenal CNN film by 10x10, at the Silverbird Cinemas, Silverbird Galleria, 133, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos.
For advance bookings for the tickets for the special screening of "Girl Rising", email: publisher@nigeriansreport.com.

 
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Eko International Film Festival Endorsed by Lagos State Government

September 23, 2013, 4:58 am
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Eko International Film Festival Endorsed by Lagos State Government

The annual Eko International Film Festival is now endorsed by the Lagos state government.
Receiving the endorsement from the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Inter governmental affairs, the President of Eko International Film Festival Mr. Hope Obioma Opara expressed his appreciation and pledged to work with his team in realizing his dream of building a big film festival in this mega city of Lagos. He stated that there is no way a film festival can be well recognized at the global level without the endorsement and support from the host state and the country at large, because film festivals are platforms that can be used to explore the tourism potentials of a country and attract direct foreign investments to Lagos state and Nigeria..

Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, President of Eko International Film Festival with top Nigerian filmmaker Jeta Amata at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, France.


 In his interaction with Barr Mrs. A.A Agbamiloja, who represented the Commissioner for Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations, he assured the government that the next level is to attract the global film market to Lagos. Having the backing of the host state is imperative in establishing an international film festival in every city of the world.


The annual Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) is Nigeria’s leading international film festival in the coastal mega city of Lagos in south western Nigeria.
It was founded in August 2009 by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Publisher/Editor of Nigerians Report and CEO of International Digital Post Network Limited and Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema, the operators of the Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project in Nigeria. The film festival was duly registered by Supple Communications Limited in September 2009 as the organizers.


The inaugural edition was held in the mega city of Lagos in summer, July 7-12, 2010, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas of The Palms in Lekki, Lagos, with filmmakers from Nigeria, Kenya, UK, Germany, France, Spain and America. The second edition and third editions were held in July 2011 and 2012 at the Silverbird Cinemas of the Silverbird Galleria on Victoria Island, Lagos. The fourth edition coming up from November 18-23, 2013 has received dozens of movies submitted by filmmakers from different countries including Iran, Serbia, Holland, South Africa, Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, USA, Nigeria and Nigerians in Diaspora and  more entries will be accepted until the closing date of October 15, 2013.




 
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DHL Nigeria Have Fun Day with Little Saints Orphanage to Celebrate Global Volunteer Day

September 23, 2013, 11:58 am
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All Smiles Some of the children from the Little Saints Orphanage.
  
DHL employees in Nigeria mark Global Volunteer Day by organizing outdoor fun day for children from the Little Saints Orphanage
 
Nigeria, September 23, 2013: DHL Nigeria part of Deutsche Post DHL, the world’s leading postal and logistics group, recently marked Global Volunteer Day 2013 with 100 employees taking part in organizing an outdoor fun day for children from the Little Saints orphanage as part of its global drive to give back to local communities and to inculcate a passion for volunteerism among employees.


“DPDHL is passionate about giving back to the community and Global Volunteer Day is a priority for our company. Our project locally is not only aligned to this global enthusiasm and our international goals and approach, but also fits into the national agenda, creating hope for local communities and the people of Nigeria, says Randy Buday, Country Manager, DHL Nigeria. 


Country Manager, Randy Buday with the DHL NG Volunteers and the children from the Little Saints Orphanage.

The day started bright with about 100 DHL employees turning up at the Isolo office premises to set up rides, games, music as well as food and drink serving points for the visiting children. At about 11am, two buses conveying 100 children from the orphanage drove into the DHL compound amidst smiles and cheers from the employees.


The children were first treated to some light aerobic activities before the fun and games began with activities such as singing, dancing, bouncing, sliding and more. The children also enjoyed a wide selection of mouth watering meals as well as cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn and other kiddies favorites. By the end of the day, it was obvious the children didn’t want to leave the little wonderland the DHL employees had created for them.
After the event, one of the children had this to say: “My name is Akinyemi Ephraim George one of the children in Little Saints Orphanage. I really want to use this great opportunity to appreciate the company (DHL) and the manager for their love, care and time spent with the children. I want to say a very big thank you sir and ma and I pray may God continue to bless the company and all the staffs of DHL.”                        


The DHL NG Team of Volunteers.
                           
“At DHL we believe that people are our greatest resource and the company aims to encourage employees to actively participate in community efforts, as well as inspire the spirit of volunteerism,” says Olufunmilayo Glover, Human Resources Manager, DHL Nigeria.


Introduced in Asia Pacific in 2008, Volunteer Day has expanded into Americas, Middle East, Africa and Europe over the years, and continues to build on its success by involving more employees than ever before. In 2012, the initiative was rolled out globally with tremendous success – 62,000 volunteers in about 120 countries and territories participated in more than 1,000 community programs.


For Global Volunteer Day 2013, Deutsche Post DHL offices around the world are participating in many diverse community projects in support of various local causes. These programs deliver to the company’s three Corporate Responsibility programs – GoTeach (championing education), GoGreen (protecting the environment) and GoHelp (delivering help). 


“Global Volunteer Day is a key part of our sustainability focus and an integral part of our company’s commitment to deliver its Corporate Responsibility strategy through GoGreen, GoHelp and GoTeach,” comments Randy Buday.


“If we can just make a difference in our local communities; imagine an entire globe full of corporate volunteers banding together. Global Volunteer Day is just that – an international organisation standing together to effect change in the communities that we serve.” 
- End -

Media Contact:

DHL – The Logistics company for the world
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “The Logistics Company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 285,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting environmental protection, disaster management and education.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 55 billion Euros in 2012.  



 
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Kofi Awoonor: 13 March 1935 – 21 September 2013

September 24, 2013, 11:02 am
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Kofi Awoonor (13 March 1935 – 21 September 2013) was a Ghanaian poet and author whose work combined the poetic traditions of his native Ewe people and contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa during decolonization. He started writing under the name George Awoonor-Williams.


 Professor Kofi Awoonor was among those who were killed in the September 2013 attack at Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya.


ACROSS A NEW DAWN

Sometimes, we read the
lines in the green leaf
run our fingers over the
smooth of the precious wood
from our ancient trees;

Sometimes, even the sunset
puzzles, as we look
for the lines that propel the clouds,
the colour scheme
with the multiple designs
that the first artist put together

There is dancing in the streets again
the laughter of children rings
through the house
On the seaside, the ruins recent
from the latest storms
remind of ancestral wealth
pillaged purloined pawned
by an unthinking grandfather
who lived the life of a lord
and drove coming generations to
despair and ruin

*

But who says our time is up
that the box maker and the digger
are in conference
or that the preachers have aired their robes
and the choir and the drummers
are in rehearsal?

No; where the worm eats
a grain grows.
the consultant deities
have measured the time
with long winded
arguments of eternity

And death, when he comes
to the door with his own
inimitable calling card
shall find a homestead
resurrected with laughter and dance
and the festival of the meat
of the young lamb and the red porridge
of the new corn

*

We are the celebrants
whose fields were
overrun by rogues
and other bad men who
interrupted our dance
with obscene songs and bad gestures

Someone said an ailing fish
swam up our lagoon
seeking a place to lay its load
in consonance with the Original Plan

Master, if you can be the oarsman
for our boat
please do it, do it.
I asked you before
once upon a shore
at home, where the
seafront has narrowed
to the brief space of childhood

We welcome the travelers
come home on the new boat
fresh from the upright tree


From “Promises of Hope: New and Selected Poems,” selected by Kofi Anyidoho, University of Nebraska Press and the African Poetry Book Fund, 2014


 

 
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Our Hearts Are With the Dozens of Victims of Nairobi Terror Attack

September 24, 2013, 1:03 pm
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NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the government and people of Kenya, as the country endures a horrific terrorist attack in a popular shopping mall in Nairobi.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100816/AJCLOGO)

Shabab, a Somali-based Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, has claimed credit for the attack, which began yesterday, and has left at least 59 dead and more than 175 wounded.

"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and our prayers are with the wounded in the hope of their full recovery," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Tragically, the radical Islamist group Shabab has once again demonstrated the limitless depths of its depravity, having targeted innocent men, women and children who had simply set out to shop, dine and enjoy time in the shopping mall."
The United States has designated the al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabab a terrorist group.
Several terrorists remain inside the Nairobi mall in a stand-off with Kenyan security forces.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee
CONTACT: Kenneth Band
24 September 2013
16:07 UN chief urges world leaders to answer demands of their people for dignity, development
10:59 Statement of ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in relation to the Westgate Mall attack, Nairobi, Kenya
01:55 Communiqué of the second meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York
23 Sep 2013
20:50 L'Allemagne condamne l'attaque d'un centre commercial à Nairobi
19:30 CAIR Condemns Bomb Attacks by Extremists in Pakistan, Iraq
14:54 Ruto and Sang case: Hearing on the adjournment of the trial, 23 September 2013
11:43 Didier Reynders condamne l'attaque au Kenya
02:41 Shinnyo Lantern Floating For Peace Draws Thousands Of New Yorkers To Central Park To Celebrate Peace
01:58 Nairobi attack: PM phone call with Kenya's President Kenyatta
01:55 Foreign Secretary press conference with French Foreign Minister
01:21 Le Secrétaire général condamne une attaque contre un centre commercial à Nairobi au Kenya
00:50 Le Conseil des droits de l'homme adopte les résultats de l'examen périodique du Cameroun
22 Sep 2013
23:13 CAIR-NY: Sikh Professor Beaten, Called 'Osama,' 'Terrorist'
17:41 AJC: Our Hearts Are With the Dozens of Victims of Nairobi Terror Attack
16:59 CAIR Condemns Terror Attack on Nairobi Mall
14:39 Canada Mourns Loss of Canadian Public Servant in Kenya
14:36 UN CHIEF, SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMN TERRORIST ATTACK IN KENYA
14:32 Le Canada pleure la perte d'une fonctionnaire canadienne au Kenya
14:31 Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
14:25 SOUTH AFRICA CONDEMNS THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN KENYA




 
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In Most Parts of the World, When A Girl is Born...

September 25, 2013, 9:27 am
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10x10 and Nigerians Report Present the Nigerian Premiere of "Girl Rising" on Friday October 11, 2013, to celebrate the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child, from 11 am at the Silverbird Cinemas, Silverbird Galleria, 133, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

 Supported by United Nations Information Center, Zonta International Clubs in Nigeria, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), Kiddies and Brands Company and Silverbird Cinemas.




Directed by Academy Award-nominee Richard E. Robbins and narrated by Cate Blanchett, Priyanka Chopra, Selena Gomez, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, Chloë Moretz, Liam Neeson, Freida Pinto, Meryl Streep, and Kerry Washington, the movie is at the center of 10x10– a global campaign to educate and empower girls.

“If to see it is to know it, this film delivers hope; reasonable, measurable, tangible hope that the world can be healed and helped to a better future," said Meryl Streep, one of the film’s narrators. 

As a result of passionate organizers stepping up to captain screenings on demand in their local cinemas, more than 1,700 screenings have been requested around the U.S to date.   

“I believe in the power of education to change not only a girl, but the world,” said Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Publisher/Editor of Nigerians Report Online and the Nigerian Captain of Girl Rising.
“By bringing Girl Rising to Nigeria, we are showing our people a beautiful film that demonstrates the impact education can have on girls’ lives around the globe.  I am proud to be part of this revolution, among hundreds of others who are organizing global screenings.”

“Girl Rising is about the world-changing power of educating girls,” said Holly Gordon, Executive Director of 10x10. “I am incredibly moved by the thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations who have stepped up to bring this important film to movie theaters and communities around the country. Girl Rising is the centerpiece of our global campaign, and these organizers are the foundation. Together, they are driving transformative change one community at a time.”

“It's a powerful film that has potential to inspire change in the world. If you're not moved, you're not breathing," said Alicia Keys, who also narrates the film.

A portion of Girl Rising ticket sales go to support girls’ programs around the world through the 10x10 Fund for Girls’ Education. The Fund is distributed to 10x10’s high-impact network of non-profit partners who are working on the ground: A New Day Cambodia, CARE, Girl Up/United Nations Foundation, Partners in Health, Plan International USA, Room to Read, UNICEF, and World Vision.

Girl Rising isfrom the award-winning producers of The Documentary Group and Vulcan Productions, with strategic partner Intel Corporation and global television distribution partner CNN Films.

ABOUT 10X10

10x10 was founded by award-winning journalists at The Documentary Group and Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions, along with strategic partner, Intel Corporation. 10x10 is built on a foundation of partnerships with NGOs, corporations, policy makers, and grassroots organizations — all working to change minds, lives, and policy. 10x10’s coalition of NGO partners include a high-impact network of champions and leaders in girls’ education. These organizations provide life-changing services to girls every day, and are among the best practitioners of their kind. 10x10’s film, Girl Rising, has been acquired by CNN Films and will be broadcast on CNN in the summer of 2013.




 
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Volunteers at FCAT Cordoba Against the Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Women and Children

September 26, 2013, 2:55 am
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  From left to right: Isabel Romero, Soledad Perez, Bashira Escudero and Ángel.


Volunteers at FCAT Cordoba against the sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and children 

The team of volunteers has organised a Cineforum under this topic in celebration of the International Day Against the Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Women and Children

 

Cordoba, 25th September 2013. The African Film Festival of Cordoba counts on an important body of volunteers who have been involved in a wide range of activities since early September. As part of them, there has been a cineforum at the Film Archive of Andalusia on trafficking of women and children, in celebration of the International Day Against the Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Women and Children. This initiative has been sponsored by the Women Andalusian Institute (Instituto Andaluz de la Mujer) and NGOD Women in Conflict Zones. 


The event, entitled “In Search of the End” [“En Busca del Fin”] has taken place from 17.30 to 20.00 on the 24thof September at the venue Josefina (Film Archive of Andalusia). The volunteers have vividly participated in a debate chaired by Soledad Pérez (MP of Junta de Andalusia) and Bashira Escudero (Women in Conflict Zones). “Very often women captured in these nets are not aware of their condition of victim”, Escudero stated, “thus we do not just identify these women, but we offer them a psychological support and juridical assistance”. However, the audience was shocked after Pérez read the report of 2012 of the actions to prevent the trafficking of women and children and sexual exploitation. “There is a very weak chain from the risk, to crime and conviction”, Pérez has claimed. “At the moment, there is no strategy to prevent and act for the eradication of this problem. This debate has disappeared from the political discourse”. Finally, she has enjoyed the occasion to denounce the fact that “in Spain, as a country, we have never fully rejected prostitution. And many youngsters even see it as something fun to do with their friends”.  The problem, as the debate has pointed out requires as well to rethink the notion of trafficking, very often mistaken with that of prostitution. This forum has concluded with the screening of the documentary film Les filières africaines de la prostitution, by Olivier Enogo, aimed precisely at raising awareness of this issue, which has given faces to the issues discussed during the debate.  

With this activity, the team of volunteers at FACT Cordoba wants to claim the need for implementing a comprehensive law on trafficking of people for sexual exploitation. This law should focus on preventing this scourge, the development of actions to avoid inappropriate sexual content in publicity and to establish services for the protection of the victims.

PRESS PASS REQUEST:
http://www.fcat.es/FCAT/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=421&Itemid=11 

International Media Office:
Estrella Sendra
Tel.: +34 667 39 26 13
media@fcat.es

 
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Rabies is Deadlier than HIV/AIDS

September 26, 2013, 5:43 am
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/ Download

One person dies from rabies every 10 minutes, on average, with the disease claiming 55,000 lives every year.
World Rabies Day, today, highlights the fact that rabies can be prevented.
However, experts say that the high cost of safe and effective vaccines – up to US$ 50 in Asia, where the average daily income is US$ 1-2 per person – and the fact that the disease is virtually invisible, mean those who should be able to prevent rabies often don't see its dangers.
Nicki Chadwick reports
Duration: 2’17″
**********************

The following is a news release from Dr. Olufemi Oboye (DVM, Ibadan), CEO, K-9ine World Ltd.


RABIES !  DEADLIER THAN HIV/AIDS
Saturday, September 28 is the United Nation’s world rabies day. This date has been set aside because it marks the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur, a scientist who with the collaboration of his colleagues developed the first efficacious rabies vaccine.

During the world rabies day, the United Nations and other international human and veterinary health organizations raise awareness on how to prevent and eliminate the main global sources of a disease that kills more than 55,000 people worldwide every year.  

Rabies is not a foreign challenge alone. In Nigeria, more than 10,000 people are still at risk of contracting this disease that is deadlier than HIV/AIDS. During the world rabies day, local human and veterinary organizations such as the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), K-9ine World Limited, Lagos Dog breeders club, etc., come up with several awareness campaigns and free anti-rabies vaccination for pets. 

Rabies is a deadly zoonotic disease (a disease that can be transmitted from animals to man, and vice versa.) that is transmitted when the virus in the saliva or brain tissue of an infected animal or person, enters into the body through a bite, scratch or open wound. Signs of rabies in an infected animal include- change in normal tone of bark, difficulty in swallowing, excessive or frothy salivation, unusual aggression to people and stationary objects, and muscle in coordination.  

In an infected person, signs of rabies include- fever, cough, sore throat, restlessness, hallucinations and seizures. The final stage is coma and death. 

To prevent rabies, avoid contact with unfamiliar animals, have your pets vaccinated, keep your cats indoors, never handle the brain tissue of a dead animal, and veterinary doctors and animal health workers should collect a preventive rabies vaccination. 

If you have been bitten by or exposed to an animal without a history of vaccination, or with signs of rabies, immediately, wash the affected area with soap, rinse with plenty water, then seek immediate medical attention. The doctor will administer post exposure rabies vaccines that will help the body’s immune system to destroy the virus at the early stages.

Exposure to a rabid animal does not always result in death if treatment is obtained promptly following exposure. However is symptoms appear before treatment, the disease progresses rapidly and the infection will probably lead to death

Rabies kills! Please ensure that you vaccinate your pets today.

Have a blessed weekend.

 
Dr. Olufemi Oboye (DVM, Ibadan)
CEO, K-9ine World Ltd.,
And, Columnist in Friday Punch Newspapers (Health- wise page)



 
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Factors That Give Rise to Corruption in Higher Education in Nigeria and other Countries

September 26, 2013, 6:28 am
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25 September 2013 14:39 Africa/Lagos  


FACTORS THAT GIVE RISE TO CORRUPTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION


 BERLIN, 23 September 2013 / PRNewswire Africa / - Imagine these scenarios:


• A dormitory manager in Romania accepts money in return for providing campus accommodations to ineligible students.

• To improve his publication record in advance of a promotion review, a faculty member in Greece engages in plagiarism.

• In Nigeria, a faculty member pays a journal to publish her article without scientific review.

• In Ghana, several faculty members lose their jobs when they are discovered selling university admission to students who would not otherwise qualify.

• A professor in Bosnia and Herzegovina allows only those students who bought the book authored by the professor to take the examination.

• In the United States, the former president of a university was indicted for embezzlement after she submitted false bills for construction that had not occurred.

These are all real cases. They demonstrate that corruption in higher education does occur. Its nature and prevalence is the topic of Transparency International's Global Corruption Report: Education. This report offers a wide range of specific examples of the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, along with thoughtful analysis of the reasons why corruption persists, even in organisations devoted to discovering and transmitting knowledge.

As the report points out, four factors have converged to create conditions that can foster corrupt practices.
First, in some countries government support for higher education has lagged. Even in countries where government funding of higher education has increased, the rapid increase in the number of students has sometimes led to a lower per-student allocation. The response in some countries has been an erosion in salaries and conditions of service for instructional staff. To compensate, some instructional staff turn to inappropriate behaviour on campus such as selling grades; or seek supplemental employment opportunities off campus which draw them away from their university responsibilities.

Second, the decline in government support is often paired with an emphasis on universities finding more of their own funding. For example, one university in Thailand operates seven hospitals, including one veterinary hospital, and uses the profit to help finance operation of the wider university. Meanwhile, a university in Malaysia has established a consulting company through which it sells faculty expertise to business and industry. Faculty members are coming under intensified pressure to increase their teaching loads, teach in special weekend courses, secure funded research and commercialise the products of their research.
Third, as universities seek wider recognition through higher placement in international rankings, faculty members have come under intensified pressure to conduct research and publish in top-tier journals.
Fourth, as part of expecting universities to raise more of their own resources, these institutions are being granted greater administrative autonomy. Decisions that were once centralised in a state or provincial education ministry are now made by campus- and departmental-level administrators.

In short, faculty members are coming under greater job pressure, sometimes within contexts characterised by less oversight of their behaviour. Together, the impact of these factors creates the motive and the opportunity for corrupt practices to enter into the equation.

While the Global Corruption Report: Education documents cases of corruption in higher education, it also offers strategies for addressing such problems. Among other things, the report argues the importance of clear codes of conduct for students, faculty and administrators; transparency in administrative procedures and decision-making; and mechanisms for calling problems to the attention of appropriate personnel. However, these actions must begin with wider recognition of the threat posed by corruption in higher education. Only as those involved in the operation of higher education systems and of individual colleges and universities understand the threat, will they be able to launch effective responses.

SOURCE Transparency International

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12:14 ALERTA PARA MEDIOS: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) y socios industriales lanzan una nueva plataforma



 
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The World's Top 60 Countries in English

November 5, 2013, 5:58 am
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5 Nov 2013 10:30 Africa/Lagos

The World's Top 60 Countries in English According to the EF English Proficiency Index  



ZURICH, November 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Scandinavian Countries Continue to Lead Rankings, as Asia Races Ahead of Latin America and the Middle East in English Ability.


EF Education First, the global leader in international education, today published the results of this year's EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) - the world's most comprehensive ranking of English ability.  In addition to ranking 60 countries and territories by their English skills, the EF EPI for the first time includes an analysis of English proficiency trends over a six-year period that has seen intense investment in English language learning.  The EF EPI also finds correlations between the English skills of a nation's workforce and the country's economic outlook.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
"Comparison of countries with their neighbours, trading partners, and rivals provides a fascinating study in divergent national priorities and educational policies worldwide," said Dr.Christopher McCormick, Head of EF's Academic Affairs and Research Network. "We found that by engaging in a national dialogue about English, stakeholders can help align goals, improve incentives, and focus on teaching English for communication.  The economic impact of such a coordinated program is clear."


This year's country rankings are based on tests taken by 750,000 adults from 60 countries in 2012.  The analysis of evolving English proficiency over a six-year period (2007 to 2012 inclusive) uses test data from nearly five million adults.


Key findings include:
  • Some Asian countries, in particular Indonesia and Vietnam, have transformed their English proficiency over the six-year period.  China has also improved, although less dramatically.  Japan and South Korea, despite enormous private investments, have declined slightly.
  • Across the board, English language skills are improving in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).  This year, India and Russia have moved ahead of China, and Brazil is closing in fast.  
  • While the rest of Europe is already proficient in English or steadily working towards that goal, France is on an entirely different trajectory. The seven countries with the strongest English are all small European nations, whose size compels them to adopt an international outlook.
  • The Middle East and North Africa are the weakest regions in English. These oil-rich nations have staked their futures on developing knowledge economies before their oil production peaks. An exception to the region's lackluster performance is the United Arab Emirates, which has improved significantly.  
  • Turkey has improved the most of any nation over the six-year period. This is a positive trend, coming as the country continues to develop according to a number of economic factors.
  • Poland and Hungary have made tremendous progress in learning English. These new English skills are an important step towards building the knowledge economies they aspire to have.
  • Poor English remains one of the key competitive weaknesses of Latin America. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chile have improved, but they still lack the large base of competent English speakers necessary for a globalized workforce. Some countries in the region, including Mexico and Guatemala, have declining English proficiency.
  •  
Published by EF Education First, the world's leading international education company, the EF English Proficiency Index is the largest ranking of English skills.  The full EF EPI ranking for 2013 is below. Additional analysis and graphs are available at: http://www.ef.com/epi/
 
Future editions of the EF EPI will feature data from the EF Test of English -the world's first free standardized English test available online to any English learner.


EF Education First (http://www.ef.com) was established in 1965 with the mission to break down barriers of language, culture, and geography. With 460 schools and offices in over 50 countries, EF specializes in language learning, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange programs. EF served as the Official Language Training Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is currently the Official Language Training Supplier of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.


EF English Proficiency Index Third Edition
Rank Country
     1   Sweden
     2   Norway
     3   Netherlands
     4   Estonia
     5   Denmark
     6   Austria
     7   Finland
     8   Poland
     9   Hungary
     10  Slovenia
     11  Malaysia
     12  Singapore
     13  Belgium
     14  Germany
     15  Latvia
     16  Switzerland
     17  Portugal
     18  Slovakia
     19  Argentina
     20  Czech Republic
     21  India
     22  Hong Kong SAR
     23  Spain
     24  South Korea
     25  Indonesia
     26  Japan
     27  Ukraine
     28  Vietnam
     29  Uruguay
     30  Sri Lanka
     31  Russia
     32  Italy
     33  Taiwan
     34  China
     35  France
     36  United Arab Emirates
     37  Costa Rica
     38  Brazil
     39  Peru
     40  Mexico
     41  Turkey
     42  Iran
     43  Egypt
     44  Chile
     45  Morocco
     46  Colombia
     47  Kuwait
     48  Ecuador
     49  Venezuela
     50  Jordan
     51  Qatar
     52  Guatemala
     53  El Salvador
     54  Libya
     55  Thailand
     56  Panama
     57  Kazakhstan
     58  Algeria
     59  Saudi Arabia
     60  Iraq


Video: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
 
CONTACT: Media Inquiries: adam.bickelman@ef.com or Tel: +852-2111-2370

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Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study

November 6, 2013, 1:27 am
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Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study

Written by Obinna Akukwe

Nigerian politicians have carried their blatant disrespect for God and godly behavior to Prayer Camps, Adoration Grounds and Redemption Camps where they constantly desecrate the hallowed environment. Many prayer camps abound in Nigeria including Alone With God Prayer Camp, Abuja, Scripture Union Camp of Faith Okigwe which serves clerics cutting across denominations in the South East and South South. There is Adoration Ground in Emene, Enugu managed by Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, Adoration Ground in Uke, Anambra State managed by Rev Fr Emmanuel Obinma popularly called ( Ebube Muonso), Upper Room Ministries of late Rev Fr Njoku  in  Emene, Enugu. Bishop Oyedepo manages Canaan Land, Pastor Kumuyi controls Deeper Life Camp Ground , Pastor Odukoya controls Mountain of Fire  Prayer City, Pastor Adeboye  controls Redemption Camp all within Lagos- Shagamu expressway. These prayer camps were established to enable Christians seek the face of God in matters of holiness, dedication, repentance, prosperity, healing, deliverance and even national rebirth, and these aforementioned camps have some doses of presence of God in their activities.

Redemption Camp is the biggest prayer camp in Africa. There is no doubt for any spiritually discerning observer that the Redemption Camp carries some doses of the Presence of God especially during Holy Ghost Congress, Holy Ghost Service etc. Many Nigerians throng to the camp to seek a conducive environment to communicate with God away from the distractions of city life and busy schedule. The same environment had also attracted many troubled politicians including former president Obasanjo who ran to the place when Pastor Tunde Bakare prophesied that his Ota born head will be severed by Nigerian coup plotters before May 1999 in a widely reported controversial prophecy. Reports have it that he also visited the camp later on in his presidency.

This Redeemed Camp has been troubled by those who troubles Nigeria including looters of public treasury, riggers of elections, political liars, economic kidnappers and perpetrators of social and political injustice. They also came to seek the face of God to continue with their acts of evil against the Nigerian people. Their activities would have gone unnoticed until Nigeria’s President Jonathan went to the camp and knelt before Pastor Adeboye in show of strange humility in December 2010 meant to achieve electoral advantage. At the end of the day, many Christians voted for Jonathan because he knelt before Baba Adeboye. Two years later, when his popularity dwindled due to draconian economic policies, mountain corruption and removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria’s President Jonathan ran to the Camp again, mounted the podium and reeled lies and deceits that he has not made up his mind to re-contest for re-election in 2015, when his close friends have already told many Nigerians that nothing will stop their man in 2015. Barely three weeks after lying at the Redeemed Camp, he unleashed mayhem on his Rivers State kinsman, Rotimi Amechi, and his supporters for daring to have interest in the same presidency he is ‘YET’ to decide on.

Holy Ghost Adoration Ground, Uke, in Anambra State is another popular camp which receives hordes of visitors. Many Catholics have found solace in that place managed by Rev Fr Obinma and God had also met them there in one way or the other. That ground has been a source of succor to lots of Anambrarians under the groan of imbecile leadership for many years that they have to resort to God and Fr Emmanuel Obinma for spiritual solutions to man-made malfeasance due to societal maladministration. It was in such state where God is being solicited to deliver the people from kidnappers, robbers, unemployment, diseases etc. that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Party Chairman, Victor Umeh, and APGA Gubernatorial Flag bearer, Willy Obiano, among others, invaded the solemn arena, and turned it into a campaign arena where they wanted to woo some of the adherents of the prayer ground in the same manner President Jonathan swooped on Redemption Camp to woo voters. 

Unlike the Redemption Camp where the worshipers were excited that President Jonathan knelt before their General Overseer, the Adoration worshipers where not impressed with the presence of Governor Peter Obi in their hallowed ground. They booed, murmured and hissed as he spoke to them. They detested any political presence while they are trying to locate God. Governor Obi and his team later knelt down for prayers the same manner Jonathan knelt before Adeboye yet the worshipers were not impressed. By the time the governor and his team of politicians left, they have desecrated the place so much that death soon followed in their trails. 

Thirty Five Roman Catholics, under the Pontificate of poor people loving Pope Francis were trampled by agents of wealthy, looting politicians because they went to seek God in a prayer Camp. This is because politicians have desecrated prayer grounds sometimes with the connivance of the clerics while in some other cases they used and dumped the clerics without their knowledge.  In the case of Redeemed Camp, nobody died physically, but many RCCG fans constantly die emotionally, politically, psychologically whenever occult, corrupt, looting, insensitive and wicked politicians are given undue attention in the place. After the 2012 political campaign at the Redemption Camp, one of Adeboye’s pastors, Bankole, a lawyer and human rights activist resigned from the pastorate in protest over the desecration of the Camp Hallowed Podium by corrupt politicians.

The Uke tragedy is a divine sign that ‘whosoever breaks the hedge, the serpent will bite’. Whatsoever caused their death; this is the first time death is being recorded on that ground. These politicians have desecrated the holy ground at Uke, and instead of apologizing, they are playing politics with it. The clergy cannot avoid the blame for whatsoever happens in that Camp. Governor Peter Obi, Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram Warlord Malam Shekau, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, Senator Bola Tinubu, General Buhari and others have the right to visit prayer camps. While in such camps, they should be in prayer mood like other worshipers, and apart from official protocols of recognition, they might, at most, be only allowed to greet the church and should be more involved in repenting of their acts of mis-governance which they visited on defenseless Nigerians, instead of hypocritical sermonization and political campaigning.

 Nigerian politicians have added in their trails of looting, thieving, lying, murder, assassinations, kidnapping and insensitivity, another vice; desecration of camp ground and insulting the spiritual sensibilities of innocent Nigerians-very soon the original owner of these prayer ground would go on rampage and there may be nowhere to hide for those who aid and abet the desecration of spiritual places of succor.

Contact:
 Obinna Akukwe


 
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'Thor: The Dark World' Breaks Box Office Records In Hong Kong

November 6, 2013, 2:35 am
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'Thor: The Dark World' Breaks Box Office Records In Hong Kong Marvel Studios yet again proved its dominance at the Hong Kong box office, with its latest release Thor: The Dark World setting new records in its first few days out. Thor took only ...

5 Nov 2013 19:30 Africa/Lagos

Marvel's Thor: The Dark World™ Battles Its Way Into North American IMAX® 3D Theatres Starting Nov. 8

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Marvel Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that Marvel's Thor: The Dark World, starring Chris Hemsworth, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released into IMAX® theatres across North America beginning Nov. 8.
Click here for the full report and trailer. EXCLUSIVE: Thor 2: The Future of Thor Interview on Nigerians Report Online tomorrow. Don't miss it.Chris Hemsworth, Alan Taylor and Kevin Feige talk about the past, present and future of Thor, the possibility of Thor 3, and why he doesn't wear his iconic helmet in our Thor.


 

 
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Fashion Week: The Best, Worst, and Outrageous

November 6, 2013, 9:23 am
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If you couldn't follow every moment of the various fashion weeks around the globe, Christina Binkley has a rundown of the best, worst and most outrageous of Spring 2014. Photo: Getty Images.



 
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Emerging Trends and Opportunities in the Entertainment and Media Business

November 7, 2013, 5:33 am
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"EMERGING TRENDS & OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT & MEDIA BUSINESS"

A presentation by Femi Odugbemi at the WOMEN IN BUSINESS (WimBiz)12th Annual Conference held on Tuesday 5th November, 2013 at Eko Hotel Victoria Island, Lagos.

Femi Odugbemi.

I am particularly excited to be here today at the WinBiz Conference 2013 because progress in Entertainment and media needs the intervention at every level of Women in Business. And we already have a good taste of the possibilities because many new and successful interventions in entertainment and media in Nigeria today are indeed driven and championed by very capable, confident, visionary women. And there are many more who need to recognize the reality that entertainment and media is the new oil&gas and with Nigeria's population there are loads of opportunities for so many ancillary businesses to prosper.


First lets talk about what you already know in terms of what's driving the trend in media and entertainment across the world but especially so in Nigeria.
I am in the business of producing television so I will focus on that for this short time that I have. For those that were around in the 80s and up to the mid 90s, you could say that you witnessed the golden era of TV programming in Nigeria. Those were the days of "Things Fall Apart", "The New Masquerade", "Cockcrow At Dawn", "Behind The Cloud", "Second Chance", "Village Headmaster", "Tales By Moonlight", "Ripples", "Checkmate", and many more. Audiences were treated to engaging content and quality culturally-relevant entertainment that are still memorable to this day. But these were entertainment packages reminiscent of the old order of content  consumption - You had to wait for it.  If you watched Village Headmaster typically at8pm on a Thursday evening, you had to wait at least 168 hours before you could see the next episode!
Even NTA's Network News was every 24hours...well, I guess not everything has changed but you get the point.


By today's standards, 24hours is an eternity in media and entertainment programming and content deployment.
24hours today is just about the time it takes for 4billion videos to be viewed on YouTube. 24hours is how much time about 400 million tweets go up on Twitter. In 24 hours, 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook. Infact, If our Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) had been airing new contents everyday for 24 hours non-stop since the day it was established, it still would not have as much content as YouTube does today.

In music video alone imagine that D'banj's Oliver Twist, has been viewed on YouTube alone almost 23Million times? PSquare's Alingo, has had 5.8Million views! Sir Shina Peters released a nationwide hit album (ACE) in 1989; the album was number one for close to a year and gave Shina Peters a career breakthrough. The popularity and success of Shina Peters' ACE, can in no way be compared to Psy's Gangnam Style with over 1.8 billion views on youtube.
So, how is YouTube able to have more content than NTA in just 8years, how does Facebook get over 1 billion users, and twitter over 500 million users?

Because new media connects to our innate tendencies. We can't break away from our desire to see and be seen; over the years, conventional media has served that appetite with gross limitation. It served us our favorite programmes in piece meal, we could not choose what we wanted to see and how we would like to see it, and most importantly, we were not allowed the chance to be seen (we really never got any chance at being a celebrity). What new digital media technology gave us is a chance to be active participants in deciding what we see and how we are seen.


The magic of the new media lies in two key trending factors – MOBILITY and CONVERGENCE.
When CNN says ‘Be the first to know’, or CHANNELS TELEVISION in Nigeria says ‘The news at your fingertips’ they are simply expressing the unprecedented access that audiences now have to content with little regard for where they are. In 1993, if you missed the news of the June 12 Election Annulment as it broke (on any media), you would have to wait for almost 24 hours before you could get an update – that’s because you were not at the right place at the right time; you were not where your television set was. In 2011, during the ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protests, you need not be where your television or radio set was, or at any of the protest venues, everything seemed to be happening on your smartphone, even details that terrestrial broadcast stations missed out on were constantly being shared around on phones, beyond the borders of Nigeria. It would be very interesting to calculate the difference in the time it took for the news of General Sanni Abacha’s death to saturate Nigeria and the time it took for the ‘Oga at the top’ video to saturate the country. It might interest you to know that close to 80% of the people that saw the ‘Oga at the top’ video, did so using a mobile phone – MOBILITY.


As someone puts it, “…the social web is the modern version of Alice in Wonderland, where we are following not one, but many rabbits down innumerable rabbit holes”, that is quite true about our digital consumption pattern. It is now commonplace to have a single programme being simultaneously broadcast in multiple versions to suite different devices and platforms – television (satellite and terrestrial), computers, tablets, smartphones, game consoles (X-Box, Playstation), portable TV (Walka) and so on. So, you could start watching a programme in your living room, and if you need to leave the house, you simply switch to a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, or mobile TV) while in your car, should you get to your office, you switch to a computer, and all the while, you are tweeting about the programme on Twitter, sharing comments on Facebook or Google+, or you could download it and own a copy of your favorite programmes. About 4billion people saw the opening ceremony the London Olympics 2012 live, via all broadcast platforms at the same time – that is CONVERGENCE.


Once we found a platform that allows us to see what we want to see, where we want to see it, how we want to see it, and also to be seen, the ground was set for a media explosion as never seen before in human history. Mobility and Convergence are the two most important factors feeding our desire to see and be seen and voraciously shaping the trends in entertainment business today. If I cannot access your content or presence from wherever I am and on more than one device, you might as well count yourself out of the competition – you are not in the TREND.


Content creation is no longer the reserve of some curator or producers or broadcast houses, it is in the hands of everyone who own one of the over 4.2 billion mobile phones around the World. The thinking behind CNN’s iREPORT underscore this understanding, same with AL-Jazeera’s AJSTREAMS, and several other audience-generated content that are now being broadcast on television. When the Boston Marathon bombing happened in April 2013, many of the videos of the incident was fetched from uploads via mobile devices. During the manhunt that followed, residents of Watertown and surrounding areas were asked to stay indoors, and the public transportation system and most businesses and public institutions were shut down, creating a difficult situation for broadcast stations to cover. Local ABC affiliate WCVB Channel 5 got its coverage of the search from videos sent to the station by residents of the neighbourhood where the search was being carried out.


To state it simply, the era of MASS-MEDIA(where we all sit back at home and some folks dictate what we see or whether we can be seen) is over, we are now in the era of ME-MEDIA(I choose what I want to see and whether I want to be seen). This trend is opening tremendous opportunities in ways that are simply mind blowing.
In Nigeria, only a part of these opportunities are being harnessed.


We are yet to fully take advantage of the abundance of wealth that can be created in the businesses that are associated with new trends in entertainment. We are a ‘show’ people, there are a lot of performance artists spread across the country churning out awesome creative pieces from different areas of the performance and creative industries. Check out Youtube Nigeria, AfricaMagic, IrokoTV, Not-just-ok.com, Too-xclusive.com, Dobox and a many more, and you would see a massive pool entirely driven by Nigerian ‘showmanship." Therein lie the opportunities that are waiting for Nigerian entrepreneurs and investors.


Where are the Entertainment Lawyers?
Business is about contracts, terms, and condition, unfortunately, entertainment business in Nigeria is grossly unattended by legal practices as is the case in some parts of the World. Millions of content are generated, uploaded, distributed, shared, downloaded on different platforms daily in Nigeria. In the process, a lot of legal breaches take place; right are violated, terms are compromised, laws are broken, but the larger chunk of the players and actors in this field do not even know. Who are the entertainment lawyers in Nigeria? Not so many people know, maybe five or ten can be mentioned, but in an industry that employs close to one million Nigerians, that number is completely inadequate.


There is a great vacuum that entertainment lawyers can fill in the industry, just as there are great business opportunities for them.


Where are the APP Developers?
There is Afrinolly, Dobox, Spinlet, and a few other apps but, looking at the core of the challenges that the Nigerian entertainment business is facing, one does not really find apps that are bringing the right solutions. Piracy is a major problem in the entertainment industry, there must be a way that technology can come in to stem this problem. This could be in creating content access and payment alternative that can redirect distribution.
What is being done about content convergence is not enough; there are needs for systems that create a seamless thread for an online and offline loop in ways that do not stall viewer experience.


Where are the Data Service Providers?
If you have tried streaming a 5minutes video on any online video platform, you probably won’t need to check for the meaning of the word ‘buffering’ in a dictionary. Sometimes, a 5 minutes video can take up to 20 minutes to buffer; yes, the content is available, but the technology to drive it is annoyingly slow. I like to see it as an opportunity for service providers and technologists to give us a solution that can birth another business. In the early days of GSM in Nigeria, service provision was a major challenge, many Nigerians carry more than one mobile phone (the situation has not changed much today). However, carrying more than a phone was an option, because multiple sim phones were introduced into the telephone markets. Can the same technology be adapted for data service? Can we have a universal hotspot device that uses more than a sim, and that is intelligent enough to switch to the fastest network per time?
The size of data service that the country currently have does not match the size of data consumption that is needed to drive new trends in entertainment business, here also is a great opportunity for technology entrepreneurs.


Who is gathering the research Analytics and Insights?
What is the online behavioral patterns of Nigerians: Who is online, when, on what device, what are they watching, uploading, or downloading? Analytics and insights are big businesses, they also help in taking informed decisions. Nigeria has the largest internet usage in Africa, over 28.3% of internet consumption in Africa is from Nigeria – that is a lot of data to be tracked and managed, and that is a lot of business to be done. Quite a lot of advertising and marketing decisions are based on assumptions, online content creation and targeting becomes even more difficult when our digital footprints cannot be analyzed. That is an opportunity waiting to be grabbed; insights and analytics provides solutions for diverse sectors of the entertainment industry and I am sure that many business decision makers would be willing to pay to get insights to the patterns of the digital lives of the demography that they target. It may interest you to know that the day of the week and the time of the day that you upload a video online may be critical consideration to whether a video would go viral or not; that is what analytics can do – that is why marketers pay Google, Facebook, Twitter etc. for insights.


We need film production support services.
Guess how many film productions are going on in different locations in Nigeria daily? A lot of the times, transport logistics for members of cast and crew are poorly managed, many a times, casts and crew are fed in very embarrassing and unhygienic manner, most producers do not even make a plan for toilet facilities. The conditions under which many of the films you see are made is quite appalling, but it can be better. Now, let us guess how many filmmakers are out working on different film projects daily across the country. I don’t think the number can be less than 50,000, if not much more. All these people need support services that can give them some sense of dignity in what they do – there can be mobile eateries that serves their meals in proper dishes and gives them comfortable chairs and tables, other than the way many productions have the crew eat in corners and in production buses, all the time chasing flies off their meals. There can be mobile lavatories that can match the kind of comfort and decency that many of us have in our homes. These are opportunities for entrepreneurs in welfare and hospitality business. Filmmakers already have a lot to attend to on a film project, the industry needs some service providers who can take the trouble of welfare and hospitality off them.


Where are the film studios?
Every filmmaker would like to shoot in a near 100% controlled environment, which is only obtainable in a studio. So, where are the professional film studios? Maybe Tinapa in Calabar, but given the quantity of film projects, there is a huge need for more. Film studios are capital intensive, but there can be joint investors who can take this onboard. I do believe that there is an opportunity for investors to tap into here.


The latitude of opportunities available in the entertainment industry are almost immeasurable. They are commensurate with the size of content that are continuously being produced everyday in the country, and with the proliferation of digital media and social web, it is hard to quantify the wealth that the entertainment business is currently creating. We know for certain that entertainment business in Nigeria is on its path to a big boom, what remains uncertain is what innovations individual entrepreneurs will bring into the industry to speed up and expand the boom.

Thank you.


Femi Odugbemi
5th November, 2013.


 
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