The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AFA

  • AFA, Imo State to train young filmmakers

    AFA, Imo State to train young filmmakers

    Mother company to Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA), the Africa Film Academy (AFA), is partnering the government of Imo State to train youths from the Eastern Nigerian state who desire a career in filmmaking.

    AFA said in a statement on Wednesday that the training which will be intensive, is scheduled to run from April 25 to May 10, 2017 in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

    In the statement signed by founder of AFA, Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, facilitators will include Segun Arinze, Paul Obazele, Tony Anih among others.

    “At the end of the training which will cover script-writing, photography, editing, acting, cinematography, sound, lighting etc, the students are expected to produce short films that will give practical expression to what they will learn during the programme,” she said.

    According to Anyiam-Osigwe, the training is meant “to introduce the prospective youths to how they can start a career in the film industry and technical production and open them to the possibilities that exist.”

    Continuing, she said: “At the end of it, we expect participating students to take their interests to the next level through further education in higher institutions and other institutes where they can acquire more and in-depth knowledge. We want to say that the Imo State Government has been kind enough to sponsor 100 students apart from providing venue and other logistics for the training and this is because of the interest of Governor Rochas Okorocha to empower the youths and create job opportunities for them. Diamond Bank as part of its CSR initiative is also sponsoring 10 students to the training while Africa Magic is also a strategic partner to make this a very successful one,” she said.

  • Stop distorting our history, Afa monarchy warns

    Mindful of the publication of A Short History of Ancient Afa-Okeagbe by Oladele Awobuluyi, PhD in the Punch Newspaper of July 5, 2016, the Ajana Afa, Okeagbe-Traditional Council, has refuted the said publication.

    In a rejoinder, the Ajana Afa, Okeagbe monarchy said: “Our attention has been drawn to a report in the Punch Newspaper on July 5, 2016 about the book written by Oladele Awobuluyi entitled A Short History of Ancient Afa-Okeagbe and we hereby rebut same. The rebuttal became necessary because the said publication erroneously presented the history of Afa-Okeagbe and the Afa Monarchy in a bad light.

    “While it is not customary for us in the council to join issues publicly on matters relating to an attempt to inaccurately rewrite history, and the use of already legally disproven theories which try to ridicule and diminish leaders of Afa-Okeagbe; we find it necessary to publicly state our position for clarity purposes and understanding.

    “To this end, the Ajana –Afa, Okeagbe Traditional Council rebuts details as they pertain to the history of Afa and the Afa Monarchy as stated in A Short History of Ancient Afa-Okeagbe by Oladele Awobuluyi, PhD.”

    This falsification of Afa History, they said, first came to the fore when the author’s father, the late Chief Awobuluyi; the then Ologotun of Ogotun Afa, Okeagbe authored a self-admitted false publication which resulted in his leading a delegation to His Royal Majesty, Ajana Arasanyin II in 1978, to seek pardon for his falsification of historical facts and affront to the revered Ajana Stool.

    Oladele Awobuluyi, author of the aforementioned book was already a Ph.D holder and a lecturer at the University of Ilorin at the time, and was surely aware of these happenings.

    They said they were surprised to see “these same illogical details peddled yet again by Oladele Awobuluyi, adding that it was a cause for alarm.

    “The Afa traditional council is very surprised and disappointed in the misrepresentation of the history of Afa in the book,” they said.

    They said: “Ajana-Afa, Okeagbe Traditional Council will shed light on all misinformation contained in the book and offer Afa, Okeagbe the true history of our fatherland in a more appropriate forum.

    “We enjoin all Afa Okeagbe sons and daughters to remain calm and resolute in the face of those who wish to specialise in destabilising our already peaceful co- existence.  We ask that we continue to work for the progress and development of Okeagbe during these extremely challenging times in Nigeria and focus on issues that will continue to bring pride, unity and development to our people.

  • Africa Film Academy plans charity gala night

    Africa Film Academy plans charity gala night

    As part of the year-long activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), the Africa Film Academy (AFA) will host an anniversary charity gala night this Saturday at the Grand Ball Room of the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The founder of Africa Film Academy, Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, who recently stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer of AMAA, said the charity gala was conceived to raise funds to support AFA’s work across Africa.

    She added that Africa had come of age and the positive stories about the continent must be told to the rest of the world through motion pictures.

    “We want to raise funds to support our training and other talent development programmes across Africa. We are selling tables and souvenirs to raise the funds. It will be a gala night with Joyous Celebration, Africa’s largest Gospel band from South Africa, on stand to entertain our guests. We are praising God for blessing our work in the last 10 years and raising awareness about the work we do through our Film-in-a-Box project across the continent. We call on our partners, sponsors and other corporate bodies to support us the more,’’ she said.

    According to the organisers, five of the 10 short-listed Nigerian journalists will be honoured in the AMAA Media Recognition Awards on the occasion for their efforts to project the awards and the motion picture industry to the rest of the world in the last 10 years.

    The media award carries $10,000 prize money, which will be shared among the three clear winners and two consolation prize winners.

    The AMAA’s Media Recognition Awards three-man committee was coordinated by Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Chairman of AMAA 2014 Jury. Other members of the screening panel for the media award were Thisday newspaper columnist, Mrs. Onoshe Nwabuikwu and Dr. Ifeoma Amobi of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Akoka.

    The 10 finalists and their nominated entries include: Business Day’s Funke Adetutu( Peace Anyiam-Osigwe on a show beyond the continent); Sunday Tribune’s Akintayo Abodunrin( Catalyst to greatness: How AMAA aided their rise to the top); Business Day’s Daniel Obi( African Film Industry, AMAA and FDIs); National Mirror’s Terh Agbedeh( Nigerian film industry regains credibility at AMAA) and Punch’s Akeem Lasisi(Thumbs up for Figurine on a night of perfect picture).

    Others include The Guardian’s Chuks Nwanne (At 10, AMAA rolls the drum for mother Africa); E24-7’s Biodun Kupoluyi(Night of AMAAzing performances in Bayelsa) and  Nolly SilverScreen’s Isabella Akinseye(AMAA: A decade of uniting, celebrating and rewarding African filmmakers). Also, a Kenyan, Njenga Micugu, from Nairobi Digest made the list with his entry titled African films should go digital to discover more Lupitas as well as Collins Ukaonu’s interview on Reel Nollywood on Galaxy Television.

  • FIFA wants Argentina, Uruguay to host Centenary World Cup

    FIFA wants the centenary World Cup in 2030 to be jointly staged by Uruguay and Argentina, who met in the final of the inaugural tournament, Argentine Football Association President, Julio Grondona, said on Thursday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in 1930, Uruguay, the then double Olympic champions, beat Argentina 4-2 in the showpiece match at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo in front of more than 80,000 enthusiastic soccer fans.

    “FIFA wishes to celebrate the World Cup’s 100 years in Argentina and Uruguay, I can confirm that,” said Grondona, the Senior Vice-President of world soccer’s governing body.

    “An agreement has been signed by the two associations (AFA and Uruguay’s AUF). What will we do? We’ll see but surely something of quality,” Grondona told Argentina’s Radio 10.

    The only co-hosted World Cup finals so far were organised by Japan and South Korea in 2002.

    Any future joint bid must have one organising committee, unlike the 2002 Asian World Cup which had separate Japanese and Korean committees.

    The 2014 FIFA World Cup will take place in Brazil.

    Russia won the vote for the 2018 tournament and Qatar, a tiny nation with no soccer pedigree and extremely high temperatures in mid-year, was controversially chosen to stage the 2022 tournament.

    A joint Argentine-Uruguayan bid for 2030 is backed by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).

    Uruguay’s Tourism and Sports Ministry formally approached FIFA’s President Sepp Blatter at the start of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa to propose the joint bid.

    Blatter has since said on several occasions, especially during visits to Latin America, that he liked the idea of the centenary tournament being held by Uruguay and Argentina.

    However, the voting system has changed since controversy surrounded the decision to award the finals to Russia and Qatar.

    The 24-man executive committee had voted on bids until last year but now the 209-member FIFA Congress will decide which countries host future World Cup tournaments.