By Ewoma Oyegwa

Voice acting is the art of using your voice to bring  words on a script to life.

You can do that by acting or creating a character, which is then referred to as a voice-over.

The voice is unseen, narrator speaking.

At some point, you might have heard some voice overs but you were unaware of it. 

You find professional voice overs on TV, radio, web commercial, infomercials, promos for Tv shows , e-learning, Games just to name a few.

Now, you have a good voice, you’ve heard people tell you that. Having a good voice is a gift

You can get into voice acting, how?

You will want to get trained to master the art.

In the beginning, you may feel weird acting out characters you’re not. That’s fine.

With constant practice and auditions for characters that similar to you, it will get better with time.

While at it, If there are areas of interests you wish to focus on, do so, then create demos, send them out and start getting jobs. 

Becoming a voice actor has many benefits.

Most voice actors work right from the comfort of their own homes using the internet and some basic recording gear. 

You have a flexible schedule, you can work full time or part-time, and it pays really well.

Ewoma Oyegwa Biography

Ewoma Oyegwa is a professional voice artiste, radio personality, television host, fashion model and creative producer/media personality.

Ewoma is the prestigious voiceover brand who has work with notable brands such as, Redbull, Quickteller, First Bank Nigeria, Jobberman, Shoprite among many others. 

With the use of her voice, Ewoma has had the opportunity to brand top radio and Tv stations across Nigeria through the means of station imaging for top TV stations such as TVC, views Channel, Coolfm Nigeria just to name a few.

She’s currently the host of the weekly music countdown show , Max World Chart show 102.3 Maxfm Lagos and 90.9 Maxfm Abuja, a co host of the Max World Chart Show on TVC and on as well as the one of the creative producers at Maxfm Nigeria. 

In the future, Ewoma hopes to anchor more events, Red carpet shows, tv and radio shows, learn new things, as well as share the knowledge she has gathered to enrich the world.

She enjoys doing voice overs, eating delicious food, traveling and listening to music. 

Ewoma’s goal is to put a smile on peoples face with her  fabulous personality, train aspiring voice over talents, travel the world and have her voice heard globally and top brands will be associated with the voice of royalty and success.

Ugandan Reggae dancehall Singer half of the Dynamic Radio & Weasel (Goodlyfe) Weasel is scheduled to drop his first album ever since he lost his partner Radio in 2018 the full album is expected to drop by end of July 2020.

Weasel is a household name in Uganda and East Africa’s entertainment with over 100 Million streams, Views and downloads.

Weasel releases his first single off the album, “BWOBAYO” .

The word, ‘BWOBAYO’ means ‘IF YOU ARE THERE’ in Luganda, Weasel’s local dialect.

‘Bwobayo’ is a romantic ballad inspired by a past experience, the track is very personal to weasel as it speaks to the fragility and vulnerability of love.

Weasel says, ‘I want all my fans to fall in love, dance, and be unafraid to express themselves when they listen to this song”. A hopeless romantic, He wants his fans to love without the limitations of ego.

https://youtu.be/UAtxXEHHq-s

Award-Winning Nigerian R&B Producer, singer and songwriter Praiz has just revealed his forthcoming EP Cover title and tracklist – To The Moon!

The EP, which is set for release  in the month of July 3rd, is cleverly titled To The Moon following the success of his most listened R&B album project ’King’ which was released last year. In his big reveal, Praiz has given his fans a preview of ‘To The Moon’  EP by also dropping the cover and  track list from the anticipated EP.

The EP  will host Five tracks all written and produced by Praiz (except the verses of the artists featured), mastered by MararaImixx and features Ice Prince, Niyola, DJ Obi (intro), Kingxn and M.I .

To The Moon is available for Pre-Order.

By Caleb Onyango

Psychologically, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our emotions, our thought processes and ultimately our behaviour.

It is wise that we take time to untangle and point out exactly what we are experiencing during this period and perhaps why we are feeling, thinking and acting certain in ways. Understanding this makes us aware of when we are triggered and are therefore able to regulate ourselves.

Washing your hands with soap and running water is critical and will protect you against the dreaded Covid-19. It is also important to practice social distancing to control the spread of the virus.

Governments around the world are implementing strategies to cushion citizens from the adverse economic effects of the pandemic. All these together with many other measures are going to go a long way to getting the society back to where it was after the pandemic is over, at least in terms of physical health and economic status. And that is obviously good news.

That said, it is important to consider the effects of the pandemic on mental health too. If not checked, these effects might create a new crisis on the state of the society’s psychological wellness that could last years, or even generations, way after the pandemic is over.

We are likely to experience a range of emotions. Sense of loss, not only of lives but also of jobs and income and loss of freedom. We are also prone to depression because of that feeling of hopelessness and despair and having to process this while not having normal day to day human interactions due to the need to maintain social distance. This also makes us vulnerable to loneliness. 

The pandemic has also affected how we think – the general functions of the brain. During this time, it will be normal to experience paranoia especially about having Covid-19 symptoms. Additionally, due to being high strung all the time, it is normal for us to become forgetful and experience mental fog, impaired concentration, be indecisive and even lack creativity, generally zapping our motivation to be productive.

As a result of the above and other emotional and cognitive experiences, our behaviour also does get affected as we consciously and subconsciously try to cope with effects of the pandemic in our lives. 

One of the ways, we might want to feel in control is by hoarding. In the face of much uncertainty stocking up beyond what we need, may be a sub-conscious way of feeling in control of ‘something’ in an out of control pandemic environment. We also experience or see in others, restlessness. This is what some parts of the world term as cabin fever, whose origin was that feeling of restlessness experienced when people have been snowed in for long periods during winter. This restlessness may make us vulnerable to bingeing on food, television, social media etc.

There is also likely to be an upsurge of drug and substance abuse for various reasons such as killing boredom or trying to cope with pandemic related stress. Conflicts are also likely to be observed among family members or even towards strangers.

It is normal to experience the emotional and cognitive responses to such a time as this of coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. That said, it is important to be aware of what one is experiencing and the reason for it as well as to know when to seek help if we find ourselves adopting harmful ways of coping as aforementioned.

The great news is, there are some healthy habits we can adopt so as to minimize the effect of the stress on their lives. Some of these habits that we at Makini Schools emphasise though our pastoral care programme include: 

• Maintaining normalcy in terms of schedule as much as possible but being flexible to adjust to a ‘new normal’ such as home schooling and working from home. Working from home and home schooling will take a while to get used to. It is helpful to designate different spaces in the home for different activities. For example, it is important to delineate the working and schooling spaces that are different from that of social activities or meals to help disengage one activity from the next injecting some energy.
• Checking in as a family will also go a long way in dealing with our emotions and run-away thoughts during this time. This can be done, for example during meal times creating a safe space to discuss what is particularly tough for each to cope with, but also a daily highlight.
• Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps reduce stress and anxiety. Eat a balanced diet – practicing portion control, stay hydrated, get enough sleep and maintain an active lifestyle.
• There is abundant evidence of the positive correlation between constructive spirituality and mental wellness. Believing in a higher being provides a sense of peace and hope. Faith also provides meaning to the pain making it bearable, for example Christians may be looking at this pandemic as a way for God to reconcile humanity with Himself. Additionally, practices such as praying, meditating, listening to uplifting spiritual music all are helpful in reducing stress and anxiety.

Employing the above strategies may help us navigate this unprecedentedly difficult times. However, the effect of the pandemic may get overwhelming for some of us even after putting in their best effort to stay afloat. In the event that happens, it is prudent to talk to a professional counsellor and book an online session.

The writer is a Counselling Psychologist at Makini Schools.

Nigerian singer Burna Boy has won the  ‘Best International Act’ award at the 2020 BET Awards.

He becomes the first artist to win the BET Best International Act award for two years in a row.

Burna Boy 'African Giant' battled out with Stormzy, Dave, both UK based, Ninho and S.Pri Noir(France), Sho Madjozi(South Africa) and Innoss’B(DRC) for the award, in that category.

The awards which honor black excellence in entertainment and sports were presented virtually from Los Angeles on Sunday, hosted by Insecure star Amanda Seales .

The focus of this year's BET Awards was black lives and culture. The theme of the event ‘Our Culture Can’t Be Canceled’ was catapulted by the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

Kenyan media personality has signed a book deal to co-author a book with J.J.Lanji Ouko.

The book documents the voices of survivors of rape, observers, family members, activists, nurses, lawyers and many others, who offer a glimpse of the different perceptions of violence.

Adelle Onyango, a survivor of rape herself, has gained international recognition for her efforts to empower African women and youth.

She has been celebrated as one of Facebook's 2019 Icons of Change; Africa Youth Awards 100 Most Influential Young Africans for 2019; and BBC's 100 inspirational and innovative women in the world for 2017

She’s also the founder of the Adelle Onyango Initiative that creates awareness on Gender Based Violence and runs a free group therapy program for survivors of rape.

J.J. Lanji Ouko is a seasoned author, lawyer & gender justice consultant. She is also the founder of Crevit Mulier & Co. a legal bureau, transforming Africa’s contemporary issues focused on gender justice policy reform\& intervention in the fields of Criminal Law, Employment Law, Family Law & Land Law; through their institute of training, research center & their boutique publishing firm since 2015.

Speaking on the book Adelle Onyango said:

“This book is very dear to me as a human being, as an African woman and as a survivor of rape as it amplifies voices of survivors in a way that have never been done before and it also shows that over decades rape hasn’t been ended because we as a people have blamed everyone but the rapists''

Adding ''It’s also such an honour to work with Lanji & Crevit Mulier as a whole because they share the passion to reform the criminal justice system so that we can see justice served for survivors. The more rapists aren’t held accountable by the justice system, the more rape cases we will continue to have”

The rape statistics in Kenya are quite alarming. 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Furthermore, during the first three weeks of the COVID-19 caused curfew, reported cases of sexual violence had tripled.

Speaking on the book & partnership J.J.Lanji said:

“As a company, our interest is on the law, policies & reform in relation to gender justice and the loopholes of access to justice. So my fight to secure justice for survivors and build a criminal justice system that fights for justice is my motivation''

''We chose to work with Adelle Onyango as she is an exemplary, inspiring woman, who has fought tirelessly for the rights of women & survivors not only in Kenya, but throughout the continent. A revolutionary Pan-Africanist whose voice I believe is of prime importance in the proverbial 'fight" against sexual violence.” she added

The book is set to hit stands by mid-November after which the Adelle Onyango Initiative & Crevit Mulier & Co. will embark on various strategic plans towards sustainable reform within a broken socio-legal system. This book will break the silence, to break the cycle of stigma & injustice

Former Taita Taveta County Woman Representative Joyce Lay seems to have found a new career, musician.

Lay who also vied for the Taita Taveta county senate seat in the last general election (2017) but lost to Jones Mwaruma has launched her new career as a gospel artiste by releasing her first song 'Najua'.

"As I celebrate my birthday on tomorrow, there is no better gift of me to the world than revealing my purpose and the will of God for my life ..TO MINISTER TO THE NATIONS THROUGH WORSHIP MUSIC. I present to you my first single worship song '' NAJUA WEWE NI BWANA'' And this is my big reveal'' she posted on instagram.

Adding '' This song was revealed in my heart in October 2017. Alot was happening then. I wasn't sure what the future had in store for me. There was so much confusion and anxiety yet in the middle of all the spirit of God was busy working something in me, I wasn't keen enough to understand it, So i recorded the song in my phone and forgot about it"

She went ahead to reveal ''I took the decision to record music in April this year. This is after getting a clear message that the songs are not for me to keep but for God’s glory to be revealed in the World. It’s amazing because it wasn’t only one song but a second song and a third, fourth, fifth up-to 32 songs were dropped into my heart through the Spirit of God. I would wake up in the middle of the night with a new song and just start singing. At some point I couldn’t get much sleep because of the fire burning inside my belly. Most nights were spent in my prayer room...worship and fellowship with God. Sometimes I would sing the whole night.I spent time to seek God’s direction on this and I know that this is truly for His glory and not for entertainment. He will pour out His Spirit in a way that we have never experienced before.He is God. He doesn’t not lie!"

She has been teasing the song on social media waiting the official release tomorrow (Monday).