Iona McCreath of KikoRomeo has been selected as a finalist for Arise Fashion Week. The New Stars.

After receiving thousands of applications, the final 30 under 30 designers were selected by a star-studded panel including South African Couturier David Tlale, Stylist and Creative Director Jenke Ahmed who has worked with the likes of Beyonce and Kanye West as well as model Alton Mason, amongst many more powerhouses within the African Fashion industry. 

Scheduled for 9-12th December 2020 in Lagos Nigeria, and streamed globally, the next generation of designers will showcase the best and brightest of fashion and style as they compete for $500,000 USD in prize money - $100,000 for first prize, $75,000 for runner up and $50,000 for 3rd place.

All 30 receive a selection prize of $5,000 and $5,000 more for the top 9. Soft-spoken UK International Model and Activist, Naomi Campbell has always been an intrinsic part of the Arise Fashion Week. She’s among leading industry experts and judges who will select the winning designers.

Growing up as daughter of fashion designer Ann McCreath, Iona has apprenticed in the fashion industry all her life.

She was born in 1996, the same year as KikoRomeo, and appeared on the runway with her mother as a baby. Highly skilled tailors and artisans have always surrounded her, as she played dress up with clothes in the shop. With time, she has taken a keener interest in her own role in fashion, exploring her talents and putting to practice the skills she had picked up along the way.  

Speaking about being selected Iona McCreath says, “In taking part, I am representing all the people that have touched my creations the farmers, spinners, weavers, dyers, painters, cutters, machinists, finishers, crocheters and embroiderers as well as administrators, transporters and many more who make up the wealth that is the fashion industry."

Adding “We love the arts and use our language and fashion skills to mentor and inspire people to be open-minded and to earn a living from creativity. The beautiful things we create, embolden the wearer, opening new paths and giving them confidence to bring out their own authenticity."

Her journey at KikoRomeo has seen her design a series of collections, maintaining the brands aesthetic and artistic heritage.

Through this time, she has also worked to redefine the brand’s representation and communication, bringing to the fore a lot of the social impact work that KikoRomeo has done over the years that many do not know about as well as highlighting the decades of artistry that is embedded in this work.

A long project, much of this will be seen in greater detail in 2021, as the brand celebrates 25 years.

Tanzanian musician, Ommy Dimpoz, officially joins the Sony Music Entertainment Africa Family.

“It’s a proud moment having an artist of Ommy’s calibre make the decision to partner with us at Sony. We’re excited about joining forces with him to bring his amazing music to the ears of as many fans as we can.” said Sean Watson, Managing Director Sony Music.

On his part Ommy said "This partnership is a very important step in my music career at the right time in my life, to see my growth and diversity in the music career. I am looking forward to a great partnership and a very successful venture with Sony Music Africa.”

Today Ommy Dimpoz drops his new single and music video entitled ‘Dede’ featuring natives DJ Tira, Dladla Mshunqisi and Prince Bulo. Stream it here.

The singer also took to social media to reveal that he will be dropping a new album early next year

The video for ‘Dede’ sees a fashionably styled Ommy Dimpoz move through a selection of performance scenes while flanked by choreographed dancers.

Ommy started his music career as a band vocalist for Tanzanian artist T.I.D and later on branched out as a solo musician with his first studio single titled “Nai Nai” featuring Alikiba.

The single topped the charts and gave him a solid entry into the entertainment scene. He followed that release with “Mama” featuring Christian Bella, and it scored him several awards and recognition as a credible musician in Tanzania and beyond.

Ommy Dimpoz received East African recognition with his third massive hit single “Me and You” in collaboration with Tanzanian songstress Vanessa Mdee.

The single was a sweet summer love ballad that received traction across East Africa and with the above singles he marked his music career across East Africa.

He continued to produce several other hits including Sweetness with Dully Sykes, Hello Baby featuring Avril from Kenya Achia Body, Tupogo, Wanjera, Ndagushima and Kajiandae.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to launch the proton saga, a locally assembled saloon car in Mombasa on Thursday.

The 2019 Saga a product of simba corp in partnership with Proton holding is powered by a 1300 cc VVT engine paired to a new automatic transmission, improved NVH, superb stability and braking performance.

The launch is expected to take place at the Associated Vehicles Assemblers, (AVA) in Miritini.

Established in 1968, Simba Corp began as one of Kenya’s most successful indigenous commercial organizations with a rich heritage in motor vehicle sales and service.

Simba has steadily spread its reach to the major cities and towns in Kenya with a network spanning major Kenyan towns like Mombasa, Kisumu, Kisii, Narok, Nakuru, Nanyuki, Nyeri and Eldoret. As an integrated business group, headquartered in Nairobi, Simba Corp has diversified division in motor sales and service, hospitality, investment and financial services.

Proton Holdings is a Malaysian automotive company that is active in automobile design, manufacturing, distribution and sales of several car models including sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr Abiy Ahmed are also expected to officially launch the Shs 1.9 billion Liwatoni Pedestrian Floating Bridge in Mombasa on Thursday.

Newly signed country newbie, Elvis Nyaruri release his first single under Universal Music Group, I Just Cannot wait to Go Back Home.

Drawing inspiration from sharing the same name as the legendary icon Elvis Presley, Elvis Nyaruri quotes Proverbs 27:17 "Just as iron sharpens iron, so shall one learn from another" and he is learning from one of the greats of all times.

WATCH “I JUST CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK HOME” HERE

Asked about country music, Elvis Nyaruri had this to say “Country is a lifestyle. It’s our day to day livelihood. It is about how you connect emotionally and believing in each single lyric you sing; you must feel what you sing. To me country music is the truth”

Asked about what motivated him to write the song, Elvis had this to say, “I believe all music came from Africa.Many people categorize country music as music for the western but in real sense it came from farmers in Africa."

Adding "So, I wanted to write a song that will praise our local countryside (Gichagi lifestyle).A song that will bring all the attention and love home, because that’s where we all belong, home.”

I Just Cannot Wait to Go Back Home is a song about celebrating our Kenyan country culture. Basically, many people are trapped in the cities or diaspora working hard in order to better their lives and those of their people back at home, but sometimes we just HAVE TO GO BACK HOME.

Elvis Nyaruri believes that country music will be big in the next two years, and he wishes to be part of that journey that made it all happen to all aspiring country artists.

Elvis Nyaruri wishes to release his first studio album sometimes around Easter 2021 and promises the project will be the best yet from his strong arsenal of songs. This debut single is something from the ages, a new era of Kenyan music, music defined by elegance and grace.

I Just Cannot Wait to Go Home, will make your playlist.

Ever since Naiboi made his artistic transition from a rapper to singer at a time when he betook himself by the name Rapdamu, his lyrical prowess has been unmatched as he keeps churning hit after hit.

You cannot go by without mentioning his ever supportive side and role in many young artist’s career as seen with his signees; Band Beca with whom together they have featured in ‘Black’ a collaboration with Nyashinski.

Naiboi’s recent addition to his list is Finland based Kenyan song writer Rawbeena of the hit song ‘Romantic’ featuring the phenomenal Fena Gitu.

Rawbeena has been in the music scene for a good while with amazing songs like Shirko Media produced ‘Koloni’ and ‘Mdananda’ both that got very rave reviews on both local and international media.

Her breakthrough song ‘Romantic’ that she enlisted Fena Gitu laid hold of the trending songs in Kenya days after it was released.

With 2020 being a year full of surprises Naiboi and Rawbeena made sure not to be excluded and exempted by giving their fans and followers a surprise collabo.

The song ‘Haijaja’ was released on YouTube on the 7^th of December, 2020 and it is already grabbing a spot on various radio and TV charts.

Haijaja dropped last evening (Dec. 7) and is Rawbeena’s first collaboration this year.

Her previous three singles – Kiboko, Mahaba and Sisimua all received rave reviews on various local and international media charts.

Haijaja is a Swahili word translating to it hasn’t come and the song was produced by Tanzania’s Kimambo Beats and the music video shot and directed in Kenya and Finland by RAWW and Solid Pro respectively.

Watch ‘Haijaja’ by Rawbeena and Naiboi out now on YouTube

YouTube Link - https://youtu.be/cPHqrJPlhog

The gaming industry’s evolution has been among the most rapid shifts in any form of entertainment and is one of the most profitable in the entertainment industry globally with a profit margin of over $159 billion in 2020 only projected to get to over $200 billion in 2023.

The industry owes its success to the advancement in mobile technology. With the recent boom in the sector, a whole new door for a generation of modern gamers was opened. In fact, according to App Annie’s – the global provider of mobile data and analytics – 2020 annual state of the mobile report, mobile gaming is the world’s most popular form of gaming and in 2019, mobile games realized a 25 percent increase over all other forms of gaming combined.

Following the advent of new and powerful smartphones, our world has shrunk to fit into a smartphone screen, which everyone is perpetually dependent on.

It is with this in mind that realme, which is the fastest growing smartphone brand in the world, has in a just a matter of months of making its entry in Kenya, launched among these the realme C11, realme C3, realme C15 and realme 6 with the latest additions being the realme 7i and realme C12.

Far from being utilized as communication devices, smartphones have now become the basic forms of entertainment – something that has shifted the gaming industry away from consoles and personal computers. This was somehow projected by the success of Pokemon Go in 2016.

Compared to PC and console gaming, mobile revenues in 2020 are set to top 100 billion dollars as posited by App Annie and International Data Corporation (IDC). This is more than the triple combined sum for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch titles.

According to these statistics, the massive shift in the gaming industry toward mobile has widened the gaming demographics and pushed gaming a notch higher. But how are smartphone manufacturers enabling a favorable environment for mobile gaming?

The stunning graphics, the enhanced battery life for longer playtimes and a burst of speed due to improved refresh rates and fast connectivity have players treating their smartphones and tablets as the primal devices for gaming on-the-go.

With game developers upping their game to meet consumer demands and other innovations, the gaming infrastructure is constantly shifting. Due to fast internet speeds, the demand for better graphics, high tactile feedback in devices, streaming services, and app integrations, smartphone manufacturers are touting the gaming capabilities of their devices.

For lots of high-end games such as the AAA titles including PUBG, Call of Duty, among others, mobile users are looking for powerful chipsets that can render high-resolution graphics smoothly, displays with HDR support and high refresh rates to enhance the gaming experience, and powerful batteries for long gaming sessions.

Manufacturers such as realme,  which recently marked 50 million shipments globally, have lent their expertise in the industry to produce all-round devices that can handle gaming and day to day smartphone needs.

Its latest flagships feature premium specifications which are great for game enthusiasts.

realme 7i, for instance, has all the considerations that consumers look for in an affordable gaming device. It runs on Snapdragon 662 processor and a Kryo 260 structure in CPU and Adreno 610 GPU – a powerful and efficient combination to deliver remarkable cooling capabilities and smooth experiences.

Better yet, with a 5000mAh battery ,18W Quick Charge and an FHD display with a refresh rate of 90Hz, gamers have all the vital components when playing fast-paced action games such as racing or shooting games.

Coupled with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage as well as the integrated UFS 2.1 storage, realme 7i delivers a blistering performance for both light and heavy tasks. With these specifications, the smartphone can handle very high graphics games smoothly with zero lags and zero frame drops.

The blend of performance, ergonomics, and special gaming features, such as the high-refresh-rate display and a clever cooling system to sustain hours of performance, means that you can better with realme 7i. Meanwhile, as the world becomes more mobile-centric, streaming services and mobile gaming continue to become fundamental arenas for revenues, and smartphone manufacturers, as well as game developers, will consistently leverage their frameworks to expand the demographics of gamers.

The increased number of players, the demand for more immersive entertainment, and the ease of mobile game access mean the future of gaming remains bright!

During this festive season, every purchase of the realme 7i will come with free realme Buds Q. In addition, in line with the festivities realme will also extends offers on the realme 6 which will come with a free realme band and the realme C15 will come with a customized pillow all available on kilimall, the offers will only run this December.

Critically-acclaimed Kenyan documentary, THE LETTER, directed and produced by Maia Lekow & Christopher King will premiere on Kenyan cinema starting 11th Dec 2020.

The slated venues include in Nairobi - at Prestige Cinema, Westgate Cinema, Anga Diamond, Century Garden City and Unseen Nairobi; Mega City in Kisumu and Nyali Cinemax in Mombasa. 

For more info: visit www.the-letter.org 

Filmed with a gentle pace and incredible closeness, THE LETTER is a story that connects with every Kenyan family.

It explores the universal theme of how land is divided when an elder dies and is entangled by the chaotic mixture of traditions vs modern values and religion. At the end, the resilience of family and community shines above all else, despite the growing threat of greed and divisions between the young and old within families. 

The film produced by Circle & Square Productions under the umbrella of Docubox East African Film Fund was officially selected by the Kenyan Film Commission as Kenya’s official submission to the Oscars Best International Film category.

Maia who is a renowned Kenyan musician, also composed the original soundtrack.  

Ahead of the THE LETTER’s release, Maia & Chris shared, “Making The Letter over six years has been a transformational journey for both of us.”

Adding, “Each person in the film faces extreme personal risk by openly discussing the taboos around witchcraft, and it is our hope that the bravery of this family can help break the silent cycle of violence that continues to wreak havoc amongst families across the region.”

Filmed over six years, THE LETTER is a gripping family drama about a 95-year-old Grandmother with a fearless spirit, who must overcome dangerous accusations of witchcraft that are coming from within her own family.

Her grandson Karisa, travels home from the city to investigate, and it gradually emerges who sent the threatening letter and why.

In 2013, the wife-and-husband duo set out to research the story of the female freedom-fighter Mekatilili, an elderly priestess from the coast of Kenya who led an armed uprising against the British in 1913. Fighting the confiscation of traditionally-owned land by the colonialists, Mekatilili was eventually imprisoned and persecuted as a witch.

THE LETTER was scheduled to be released in Kenya in June 2020, but was unfortunately postponed due to COVID lock-down measures.

The film has so far played at some of the world's most prestigious international film festivals including DOC NYC, AFI Docs, IDFA, Durban and Docs Barcelona where it won a Special Jury Mention. It was also nominated for a One World Media Award as well as an African Movie Academy award for Best Documentary.

THE LETTER seeks to highlight the need for protection of the vulnerable elderly in Kenya, and make the end of elderly abuse a national priority by launching the hashtag #watunzewazee. 

In the Director’s Statement, Maia & Chris conclude, “As we spoke with many elders about this oral history, we were saddened to hear of violence happening now against the elderly in the area, due to an outbreak of witchcraft accusations.”

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:

Maia Lekow is a Kenyan musician and filmmaker, known prominently as the front-woman of the band Maia & The Big Sky. She co-founded Circle & Square Productions with husband Christopher King in Nairobi, 2009.  Maia was named a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR in 2013 and received an African Movie Academy Award for her song "Uko Wapi” in 2009. Maia has also composed the original score for THE LETTER, working with Emmy-award winning, Toronto-based composer Ken Myhr.

Christopher King is an award-winning filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya since 2007. Born in Australia, Chris studied at The School of Creative Arts at the University of Melbourne, with honors in Visual Media.  With a background in the fine arts, Christopher has lived and worked in Kenya as a video artist, cinematographer and editor- winning an African Movie Academy Award in 2009 for editing FROM A WHISPER.

Executive Producers: Judy Kibinge, Peter Mudamba Mudamba, Cynthia Kane

Impact Team: Samia Omar, Sarah Mallia, Patience Baya

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked Kenyan youth to stop shying away from pertinent national issues saying time had come for them to take charge of the affairs of the nation.

The President observed that despite the youth making over 70 percent of the country's population, their presence has not been felt in key spheres of the country including leadership.

"Kenya has its owners and that is each one of the 50 million of us. For a long time majority of the shareholders have not taken responsibility,” the President said in reference to Kenya's youth bulge.

The Head of State spoke Monday at the Bomas of Kenya on Nairobi County when he officially inaugurated a national youth dialogue initiative dubbed, 'Kenya ni Mimi'.

The President said the youth need to make their large count by offering themselves for national leadership positions.

“But as owners we also have a responsibility for this property that we own so that we can drive Kenya to its rightful destination. It is time to take up responsibility. Leadership is not given but it is taken and grabbed and move with it”, the President said.

He said young people cannot make any difference as along as they continue shying away from taking bold steps aimed at transforming not only their lives but the country at large.

“You must be in the arena and not outside the arena. You must tell the narrative of our country if you decide that you want to take charge of our future. You have a great opportunity and you must take ownership,” the President said.

'Kenya ni Mimi' campaign is national platform for young people canvass youth agenda and consolidate their contribution to nation building and wellbeing economically, politically and socially.

The Head of State told the youth representatives drawn from across the country to emulate liberation heroes from across the globe whom he said led to the emancipation of their countries at very young ages.

"Nothing happens without a dream. All makers of change in this world started young but they were well empowered," President Kenyatta said.

Adding, "if we are 47 million strong, the young people must claim their space. Not as trend followers, but as trendsetters. And they must use this moment, as they did in our history, to organize themselves for the renewal of our economy”.

The President said that for the country to create enough job opportunities to meet the growing demand by young people, there must be a change in the way the political affairs of the country are run.

“To flatten the curve of unemployment, we must correct our Kenyan imperfections; imperfections that drive investors away from our country. And our young people must take the lead," the President said.

He noted that the cycle of violence after every election has depressed the country's investment potential saying that was the genesis of the BBI process.

“One of the reasons of BBI is to bring together all Kenyans and ensure that the country continues to grow peacefully and that there’s a semblance of continuity. Yes we can have a change of Government but we need continuity of the agenda.

"The BBI initiative is meant to ensure that no Kenyan ever feels left out to a point that they become violent to achieve their objective,” President Kenyatta said.

While fielding questions during an interactive session dubbed 'Bonga na Prezzo', the President challenged the youth to emulate the integrity and discipline exhibited by the Kenya Defence Forces in the execution of public projects.

"If all of us had the discipline and integrity of our Defence Forces then our country would go far. I encourage every Kenyan to be more like them for the development of our own country.”

On the issue of gender based violence and other retrogressive cultural practices such as FGM and early marriages, President Kenyatta assured the youth that his government will not relent in its efforts to stamp out the vices.

He said his administration is keen to continue engaging more closely with Kenyan women in all spheres of development just as it is doing with the youth.

"We will take action as Government against all those who continue to practise the outdated and backward practice of Female Genital Mutilation. It must end by 2022.

"Women need to be treated with respect. Excluding women from the social, economic and political agenda of this country is like cutting one of your legs and hope to be able to walk. It is not possible,” the President said.

ICT CS Joe Mucheru and CAS Nadia Ahmed commended President Kenyatta for championing the youth agenda by recruiting them into senior ranks of Government.

Other speakers included African Union Special Envoy on Youth Aya Chebbi and UNFPA Kenya country representative Dr Ademola Olajide.

 The launch was also attended by several senior Government officials and representatives of the private sector among them Public Service CS Prof Margaret Kobia.

A.I Records Kenya, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, has signed country singer and song writer Elvis Nyaruri.

The country’s new kid on the block is born from a musical background family, his father having been a rhumba artist himself in the 1980s and his grandmother too in the earlier years.

Drawing inspiration from sharing the same name as the legendary icon Elvis Presley, Elvis Nyaruri quotes Proverbs 27:17 "Just as iron sharpens iron, so shall one learn from another" and he is learning from one of the greats of all times.

Asked about country music, Elvis Nyaruri said “Country is a lifestyle. It’s our day to day livelihood. It is about how you connect emotionally and believing in each single lyric you sing, you must feel what you sing. To me country music is the truth”

It is in that belief shared by Elvis Nyaruri that A.I Records, the biggest music label in East and Central Africa having been established by Michael Andrews in the late 1950s and boasting one of the biggest catalogues in the region took a chance and signed Elvis Nyaruri.

John Andrews, the General Manager A.I Records & Universal Music Group Kenya said, “Country music has been one of the most consumed music genres in Kenya, with the likes of Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Jim Reeves, Charlie Pride etc. having enjoyed substantial airplay over the decades.”

John believes that it is time Kenya and the East African region cultivate new country music from within and tell a story about Kenya in our own way.

He emphasizes “Country is ageless, and I do believe that this is one way of making sure, future generations will relate to our heritage.”

“Today we are delighted to start this journey with Elvis Nyaruri, who we don’t only share in his belief about country music, but we also share in the fact that he is a talented young man, with a good understanding of music and knows where he wants to go, and we are here to help on this Journey” John states.

Elvis Nyaruri will release his first single under the label on the 09^th of December 2020, titled ‘I JUST CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK HOME.’

The song is about celebrating our Kenyan country culture. It basically talks about the desire of going back home. Many people are trapped in the cities or the diaspora, working hard in order to better their lives and those of their people back at home, but there is always a constant desire TO GO BACK HOME.