The Oscars Award Academy has disqualified Nigeria’s ‘Lionheart’ from the Oscar race in the Best International Feature Film category.

The 2018 film was directed by Nollywood actress and director Genevieve Nnaj

The movie is said to have violated an Academy rule that entries in the best international feature film category must have a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

Lionheart is largely in English, with an 11-minute section in the Igbo language.

It is also reported that the film had not been vetted by the Academy’s International Feature Film Award Executive Committee in advance of the October 7 announcement of qualifying films.

Nnaji who also starts in the movie has sharply reacted to the move .

"I am the director of Lionheart. This movie represents the way we speak as Nigerians. This includes English which acts as a bridge between the 500+ languages spoken in our country; thereby making us #OneNigeria" said Nnaji

Adding "It's no different to how French connects communities in former French colonies. We did not choose who colonized us. As ever, this film and many like it, is proudly Nigerian. @TheAcademy"  

American filmmaker and film distributor Ava DuVernay also criticised the move stating "To @TheAcademy, You disqualified Nigeria's first-ever submission for Best International Feature because its in English. But English is the official language of Nigeria. Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language?"

In the movie, Nnaji Gennevive Nnaji plays a woman who tries to keep her father's struggling company afloat in a male-dominated environment by stepping  up to the challenge to work with her crude and eccentric brother when her father, Chief Ernest Obiagu is forced to take a step back due to health issues.

Thrift Social Nairobi has postponed the upcoming Neon & Leather edition earlier slated for November 9th to Sunday, December 8th.

The series to be held at The Waterfront Karen Mall, will feature Nigerian Pop sensation Rema, soulful singer Bensoul, fast rising star Xenia and acclaimed mood setters TAIO, Hiribae and Mix Master Lenny. 

Due to unavoidable travel constraints for the visiting headlining act, the market was forced to reschedule the experience with advanced tickets effectively carried forward to the latter date. 

The social event series was founded in 2015 by brother and sister combo cum style entrepreneurs, Oliver Asike and Velma Rossa as a platform for the exploration of fashion, visual art and music in a bid to inspire innovation in Kenya’s vibrant and multi–faceted creative industry.

The market invites fashion and style enthusiasts to shop from a curated selection of the city’s cutting edge vendors, attracting a plethora of creatives from fashion enterprises, designers, photographers, stylists, models, art directors and other fashion actors in the Kenyan fashion ecosystem.

The upcoming edition marks an end to a stellar year for Africa’s biggest thrift market after a flourishing partnership with Nataal Magazine, a London based digital and print platform revered for inspiring artists whose work is shaping global African creativity today.

The collaboration will be the third of its kind after the successful Made In Kenya and Tie & Dye editions that saw British Urban Jaaz queen IAMDDB and BET Award winner Sho Madjozi headline the series alongside some of Kenya’s celebrated and rising acts from Sauti Sol, Nyashinski, Karun, Wanja Wohoro to DJ fully Focus among many others.

The afternoon long market is an immersive, arguably unprecedented experience that strives to foster opportunities and possibilities within our creative ecosystem.

The Rockefeller Foundation has announced the Food System Vision Prize – inviting organizations, universities, institutions, companies, cooperatives, and partnerships from around the world to create compelling and progressive visions of the world’s system by 2050. A Prize of

$2 million will be distributed among 10 winners.

“Today’s food system is failing communities around the world, increasing diet-related disease and accelerating the effects of climate change,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation.

Adding “Yet, we have more knowledge, technology, social intelligence, and human capacity than ever before – all of which must be harnessed to transform our food system so that it nourishes all people, grows the global economy, and promotes a thriving environment.”

The Rockefeller Foundation, partnering with SecondMuse and OpenIDEO, aims to amplify the discourse on the state and the future of the world’s many food systems, and to empower communities globally to become protagonists in their own food future.

Creating a new Vision for the future of our food system requires a culture of collaboration that rallies industry, policy, academia, and society to look beyond silos to act as one.

“We’ve been conditioned to envision a bleak and dystopian future, but this doesn’t need to be the case,” said Dr. Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President of the Food Initiative at The Rockefeller Foundation.

Adding “To make the systemic changes necessary to fix our food systems by 2050, we need strong positive visions to progress from hope to action.”

The Challenge

Food System Vision Prize participants – Visionaries – will be tasked with imagining a hopeful, inspiring Vision for their chosen place that reflects the views of multiple stakeholders within their food system and addresses six interconnected themes: the environment, diets, economics, culture, technology, and policy.

Visions will unlock inspiration, knowledge, networks, and innovations that have the potential to transform the future course of humanity and the planet, lighting the way for populations across the globe to realize a more promising, nourishing and healthy future.

Submission Process & Timeline

To apply, visit FoodSystemVisionPrize.org on October 29, 2019 to view the application, the Prize Terms and Conditions, and eligibility requirements. Submissions for the first round of the competition must be completed by 5:00 PM EST on January 31, 2020.

After the close of initial submissions, semi-finalists will be selected to advance to the next phase of the competition in March 2020. Ten finalists will progress to the Accelerator in May 2020 during which they will receive support in order to develop a final product to promote their Vision and their path toward implementation. Specifically, finalists will:

• Collaborate with a select team of advisors to further refine and actualize their Visions
• Receive support from The Rockefeller Foundation, including media and storytelling training, presence on a global platform and media exposure to attract partners and connections, and access to other funder and philanthropic networks

Each finalist that completes the Accelerator and otherwise meets all eligibility and other requirements will be announced as a Top Visionary on September 13, 2020.

Each winner shall receive a prize of $200,000 USD and will have an opportunity to attend an awards ceremony where the Top Visionary can collaborate and network with other food system stakeholders addressing systemic food issues.

 More information here: 

https://www.foodsystemvisionprize.org/utm_source=rock%2Bpress%2Brelease&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=food%2Bprize%2Bbrief

Ugandan award winning artist Eddy Kenzo has gone down the history books for being the first artist from East Africa to have his song featured in an American movie.

The song 'Mbilo Mbilo' which was released in 2015 has been featured in Netflix's latest original film "Holiday in the Wild". \

The film was released on November 1 2019 . It has been directed by Ernie Barbarash and starring Hollywood greats Kristin Davis and Rob Lowe.

In the movie which is about celebrating Christmas in Africa, Kristin Davis and Rob Lowe fall in love while taking care of elephants in Zambia in a colossally silly yet oddly likable festive time-filler.

'Mbilo Mbilo is used during the main characters' safari adventure.

Commenting on the move Eddy Kenzo said "Congratulations to me my fans world wide and Uganda the pearl of Africa this is big "

Fikisha a new Kenyan tax application is now available in Mombasa.

Fikisha is a one stop Kenyan application that seeks to offer services apart from taxi to product deliveries , home , offfice delivers as well as hearse and ambulance services.

It was first luanched in Nyeri in 2016.

According to Fikisha marketing manager Catherine Wamboi, they also seeking to take advantage of the tourism industry especially with the standard gauge railway (sgr).

"The holiday season is already here with us and what a better way to travel Fikisha and arrive safely at your destination of choice" said Wamboi.

The app also has options of boda boda, tuk tuks,.  In total in Mombasa Fikisha has  own fleet of 50 cars , 10 boda boda  and 108 taxi cabs and still adding fleet.

Catherine also revealed that they are planning to expand the business to other areas like Kisumu , Eldoret , Kitui , Machakos and Nakuru.

''We have installed security measures in place to flag down operators with expired documents including PSV insurance and licences as we seek to have law abiding  operators ,''Catherine said

The first passenger cruise ship of 2019 docked at the Port of Mombasa’s new world class cruise ship terminal today, Sunday 3rd November 2019.

She (Ms Albatros cruise ship) has 400 tourists on board and 300 crew members.

The tourists will then proceed to excursions in Maasai Mara Tsavo National Part, Simba hills and Mombasa city.

The terminal was constructed with contributions from Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and the Finish Embassy in Kenya, which contributed funding through TradeMark East Africa (TMEA).

The terminal is currently 96.5% complete; with practical handover expected to take place in the next two weeks.

The completion comes in time for the cruise season during the festive period. TMEA and KPA agreed to upgrade the old passenger terminal, which was first constructed in the 1920’s; and was initially designed for storage of conventional cargo.

It was later converted as a cruise terminal in 1960s. The key driver of the intervention was a need to provide safety for passengers and a modern facility that’s in line with the changing shipping technology; that’s now dominated by mega ships with high carrying capacity and depths.

This would therefore, position Kenya as a passenger destination via sea, and support its agenda to increase tourism. Port of Mombasa is one of the busiest Ports along the East African coastline.

The fact that it provides direct connectivity to over 80 Ports worldwide makes the terminal an economic logic and critical node in increasing tourism in the region.

Additionally, and obviously, the old terminal misrepresented Kenya’s tourism beauty; having been constructed with piled foundation, reinforced concrete beams and columns, hybrid of timber and steel truss and asbestos roofing sheets that had started deteriorating due to age, exposure to weather and general wear and tear.

The new terminal stands elegant; with modern high roofed structures whose primary source of energy is solar. Modern meeting rooms and eateries increase the utility of the terminal. A bio digester that will recycle water for re-use.

 The design has factored facilities for differently abled people to include special lifts, escalators, conveyor belts, scanners, air conditioning system and washrooms.

Making his remarks on the completed terminal, KPA Managing Director Dr. Daniel Manduku said; ‘KPA has prioritised cruise ships calling at the Port of Mombasa due to the high impact created in the coast region by arrival of a cruise ship through the Port of Mombasa. KPA has committed it resources to modernise cruise terminal to meet the international standards.

On her part, TMEA-Kenya Country Programme Manager, Ms. Elizabeth Mwangi reiterated the institution’s commitment to support key economic sectors in Kenya.

She said, “Tourism is Kenya’s second-largest source of foreign exchange revenue. It holds great potential to create jobs and reduce poverty. In this regard, TMEA-Kenya has marked tourism as a key intervention area. Specifically, in Mombasa, TMEA will roll out an export capability programme on tourism to increase revenues and amplify impact on local economy.”

Tourists received a kingly welcome; which is expected to be the norm for subsequent arrivals.

The various port service providers have held multiple planning meetings to rehearse smooth clearance procedures, including port health, customs and immigration.

Creating employment remains a central theme for the terminal; which is expected to directly create 300 jobs.

And indirectly boost local industries such as the transport sector, hotels, food providers and curio sellers. On sustainability, the ministry of tourism and KPA, Kenya Tourism Board and Ministry of Tourism will undertake extensive marketing abroad to raise the terminal’s appeal as an entry point for tourists to the region and Kenya

South Africa’s Bonang Matheba has won the newest and hottest contested category in the E! People’s Choice Awards, “African Influencer of the Year”.

The E! People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans and this is the first time, on a global scale, that E! Is recognizing some of Africa’s most iconic and influential talent.

The star studded awards ceremony will take place on the November 10^th, 2019, in Santa Monica, California.

“I am honoured to be the first to receive this award, especially as the world turns its attention to the African continent. Africa is special and unique and I want to congratulate all my fellow nominees who make our continent proud with their amazing talent,” said Bonang.

In the “African Influencer of the Year” category, Bonang was nominated alongside Africa’s finest talent including Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Cassper Nyovest, Yemi Alade, Diamond Platnumz and Minnie Dlamini-Jones.

AliKiba has now threatened to expose his rival Diamond Platnumz for all his 'bad deeds'.

This after Diamond Platnumz tried to ask him to be part of the wasafi festival in Daresalaam.

Addressing a media briefing this afternoon ahead of the festival, Diamond  said "Boss  Tale called Ali Kiba before leaving for US. Despite our competition, we need to come together when it comes to something big like this, let us not allow to be divided by what people say, we will kill the industry. Lets take an example of Nigeria how they usually come together "

Diamond's sentiments see,s to have not gone down well with Ali Kiba who took to social media to dismiss him.

"Usiniletee mambo ya darasa la Pili unaniiibia penseli alafu unanisaidia kutafuta .(UNIKOME)" said Ali Kiba

Adding "Mwanaume huwa anaongeaga mara moja tu sasa ukitaka nikuweke uchi watu wajue unayonifanyia hata kwenye hilo tamasha hatokuja mtu sasa tuishie hapo nakutakia tamasha njema @diamondplatnumz"

http://ommydalla.co.ke/buzz/item/1293-diamond-platnumz-reaches-out-to-harmonize-and-ali-kiba

Tanzanian sensation Diamond Platnumz has pleaded with ex- colleague Harmonize and long time rival Ali Kiba to join him for the wasafi festival in Daresalaam.

The festival is slated for November 9 at the Posta grounds in Daresalaam.

Addressing the media this afternoon, the 'Kanyaga' hitmaker revealed that one of his managers Babu Tale has already reached out to Ali Kiba so as to have him perform at the festival.

"Boss  Tale called Ali Kiba before leaving for US. Despite our competition, we need to come together when it comes to something big like this, let us not allow to be divided by what people say, we will kill the industry. Lets take an example of Nigeria how they usually come together " said Diamond.

This is not the first time that Diamond is trying to reach out to Ali Kiba, last year as he was launching the festival Diamond said he would like to see Ali Kiba participate in the festival.

“Na kwa kudhihirisha kwamba hili ni Tamasha la kwetu wote, mpaka kaka yangu Alikiba ningependa kumuona anashiriki katika Wasafi festival, lengo si kuonyesha nani mkubwa bali ni kuuleta mziki wetu pamoja na kuifanya dunia kuona kwamba, kumbe na sisi Tanzania tunaeza shikamana na kufanya vitu vikubwa" said Diamond Platnumz.

In his response, Ali Kiba stated that he was ready to be part of the festival but as a sponsor through his Mo Faya energy drink.

Ali Kiba charged “ Pia ndugu zangu Wasafi tumepata salamu zenu, nashukuru kwa mualiko wenu ila bahati mbaya sitoweza kushiriki kwa sasa kutokana na majukumu ya kuzundua Mofaya katika nchi zingine. Hata hivyo tusingelipenda kuwaacha hivi hivi, tupo tayari kuwapa support kwa kudhamini tamasha lenu kupitia MofayaEnergydrink ili kuweza kusukuma mbele gurudumu la maendeleo ya sanna yetu Tanzania na Africa" 

Concerning Harmoinize, Diamond said "Like i said before Wasafi festival belongs to all of us, we will be very glad to have his presence at the festival. He is our homeboy, despite what might be going on but Harmonize belongs to wasafi, this is his home and he knows it well"

Adding " He might be having other commitments on that day but our prayer is that he joins us, we want to have different artists".

His sentiments comes just days after Harmonize revealed that he had to sell three of his houses to raise the required money of Tsh 500 million (Kshs 22 M) in order to leave WCB.

During the press briefing, Diamond further revealed that there will be different activities on the day of the festival including dancing  and singing competition.

He also noted that several artists outside Tanzania are also expected to perform at the festival.

Only a week after launching a new Branch in Eastleigh, DIB Bank Kenya has today launched a new branch at Bondeni in Mombasa, increasing its footprint in Mombasa to two branches.

The new branches are geared at enhancing the bank’s reach at key business locations to cater for its target customers segments of Commercial Enterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises and Individual customers.  

The opening of a second branch in the Coastal city of Mombasa, home to the largest and busiest port in East Africa, is a further step in the implementation of a plan that will see the bank expand its business activities in the Kenyan market to meet the needs of  its fast-growing Commercial Enterprises and Small and Medium Enterprises customer base across the country.

With a second branch in Mombasa, DIB Bank seeks to meet the growing need of Shariah-compliant financial services in a city with a vibrant economy largely driven by business emanating from the Port of Mombasa, general trade, tea, tourism and manufacturing including cement manufacturing.

“Since we launched the DIB brand in Kenya two years ago, we have continued to invest in the country with the objective of growing our business in Kenya and to widen our branch network in order to be closer to our customers” said DIB Bank Kenya Chief Executive Officer Peter Makau.

“The new branch, which is conveniently located at the Suhufi Plaza in Bondeni Mombasa along Abdul Nassir road, will give residents of Mombasa community the opportunity to benefit from DIB Bank Kenya’s Sharia-compliant banking products and services. Currently, DIB has presence in Nairobi and Mombasa with 5 strategically located branches in these cities,” added Mr. Makau

Those present at the launch included Mombasa County Senator Mohamed Faki Mwinyihaji, CEC Finance & Economic Ms Maryan Mbaruk, The Chief Officer Devolution Ms Illhan Abass, prominent Mombasa business personalities and DIB Directors Dr. Stephen Mainda and Mr. Michael Murphy.