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‘Viva Riva’ and ‘Sinking Sands’ lead nominations as AMAA looks for new frontiers in African movies
For the second year running, Ghanaian film maker, Leila Djansi made a huge impression on the Africa Movie Academy by receiving multiple nominations for the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). Unlike the previous year when she topped the list of nominations; this year, she comes a close second to Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s ‘Viva […]
For the second year running, Ghanaian film maker, Leila Djansi made a huge impression on the Africa Movie Academy by receiving multiple nominations for the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). Unlike the previous year when she topped the list of nominations; this year, she comes a close second to Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s ‘Viva Riva’ from Congo. Leila’s widely acclaimed ‘Sinking Sands’, a psychological drama about a love affair that turns into a relationship full of abuse, received 9 nominations including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Cinematography and others.
‘Viva Riva’ received 11 nominations. It is a crime thriller about a nasty gang war ignited by a fuel crisis in Congo, a breathless story of the rise and fall of Riva, a Congolese smuggler who makes a fortune overnight and is hunted down in Kinshasa. Kinshasa is a city of silky smooth and pulsating nightlife, always ready to go on forever. The happy few who have it all live the high life, never looking back on those who have nothing and live in envy, dreaming of their turn as kings and queens of the night.
Riva is one of those dreamers who had nothing, until he returned from ten years away with pockets full of cash and determined to have the time of his life. With his old pal, J.M., he sets out for a night of drink, dance and debauchery. Queen of the night, mysterious, distant beauty, Nora’s dance transfixes Riva. No matter that she belongs to a local gangster, Riva must have her. The money Riva is spending belongs to his old boss in Angola, who, in hot pursuit, wreaks bloody havoc every step of his way through town to find Riva. The dream becomes a nightmare, as Riva suffers the cold light of day – and his glory time runs out in a sordid pit on the edge of town.
Other movies that received multiple nominations include Hopevile, Aramatou, Soul boy among others. There is also a keen competition for the Best Actor in Leading Role nod between Themba Ndaba (Hopeville), Patsha Bay (Viva Riva), Jimmy Jean-Louis (Sinking Sands), Ekow Blankson (Checkmate)and
Antar Laniyan (Yemoja). The Best Actress in Leading Role race is between Idiat Shobande (Aramotu)
Omoni Oboli (Anchor Baby), Manie Malone (Viva Riva),Ama K. Abebrese (Sinking Sands), Denise Newman (Shirley Adams).
The entry from new African countries into the scheme; and the conspicuous absence of the names of the popular faces in the leading Actor and actress categories reflects the new frontier theme for the 2011 AMAA scheduled for Saturday, March 26 in Nigeria.
Below is the full list of nominees:
Best Short Film
BOUGFEN – PETRA BANINLA SUNJO (CAMEROUN)
WEAKNESS – WANJIRU KAIRU (KENYA)
NO JERSEY NO MATCH – DANIEL ADEMINOKAN (NIGERIA)
DUTY – MAK KUSARE (NIGERIA)
BONLAMBO – ZWE LESIZWE NTULI (SOUTH AFRICA)
ZEBU AND THE PHOTOFISH – ZIPPORAH NYARORI (KENYA)
DINA – MICKEY FONSECA (MOZAMBIQUE)
ALLAHKABO – BOUNA CHERIF FOFANA (TOGO)
Best Short Documentary
SYMPHONY KINSASHA – DIENDO HAMADI & DINTA WA LUSULA (CONGO)
NAIJA DIAMOND (Feature on Dr. Rahmat Mohammed) – NFORM LEONARD (NIGERIA)
AFTER THE MINE – DIENDO HAMADI & DINTA WA LUSULA (DRC)
STEPPING INTO THE UNKNOWN – ROWENA ALDOUS & JILL HANAS-HANCOCK (SOUTH AFRICA)
YEABU’S HOMECOMING – JENNY CHU (SIERRALEONE)
Best Documentary
KONDI ET LE JEUDI NATIONALE – ARIANA ASTRID ATODJI (CAMEROUN)
HEADLINES IN HISTORY – ZOBBY BRESSON (KENYA)
CO-EXIST – ADAM MAZO (RWANDA)
STATE OF MIND- DJO TUNDA WA MUNGA (CONGO)
NAIJA DIAMONDS- NFROM LEONARD (NIGERIA)
Best Diaspora Feature
SUICIDE DOLLS – KEITH SHAW (USA)
TESTED – RUSSELL COSTANZO (USA)
NOTHING LESS-WAYNE SAUNDERS (UK)
THE VILLAGE -WAYNE SAUNDERS (UK)
Best Diaspora Documentary
STUBORN AS A MULE – MILLER BARGERON JR & ARCELOUS DEIELS (USA)
MOMENTUM- ZEINABU IRENE DAVIS (USA)
IF NOT NOW – LOUIS HAGGART (USA)
MOTHERLAND – OWEN ALIK SHAHADAH (USA)
CHANGEMENT – CHIARA CAVALLAZI (ITALY)
Best Diaspora Short Film
CYCLE- ROY CLOVIS (USA)
UNDER TOW – MILES ORION FELD (USA)
HABITUAL AGGRESSION – TEMI OJO (USA)
LITTLE SOLDIER – DALLAS KING (USA)
THE NEW N WORD – SOWANDE TICHAWONNA (USA)
PRECIPICE – JULIUS AMEDUME (UK)
Best Film for African Abroad
ANCHOR BABY – LONZO NZEKWE (NIGERIA/CANADA)
IN AMERICA: THE STORY OF THE SOUL SISTERS- RAHMAN OLADIGBOLU (NIGERIA/USA)
MIRROR BOY – OBI EMELONYE (NIGERIA/UK)
AFRICA UNITED – DEBS GARDNER-BROOK (RWANDA/UK)
Best Production Design
TANGO WITH ME
VIVA RIVA
HOPEVILLE
6 HOURS TO CHRISTMAS
MAAMI
Best Costume Design
INALE
YEMOJA
SINKING SANDS
ARAMOTU
ELMINA
Best Make Up
INALE
SINKING SANDS
A PRIVATE STORM
VIVA RIVA
A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT
Best Soundtrack
VIVA RIVA
AFRICA UNITED
IZULU LAMI
INALE
A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT
Best Visual Effects
ARAMOTU
NANI
WHO OWNS DA CITY
INALE
A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT
Best Achievement in Sound
SINKING SANDS
SHIRLEY ADAMS
IZULU LAMI
VIVA RIVA
TANGO WITH ME
Best Cinematography
SINKING SANDS
MAAMI
IZULU LAMI
HOPEVILLE
VIVA RIVA
Best Screenplay
SOUL BOY
SINKING SANDS
HOPEVILLE
SHIRLEY ADAMS
IZULU LAMI
Best Nigerian Film
MAAMI – TUNDE KELANI
ARAMOTU – NIJI AKANNI
TANGO WITH ME – MAHMOOD ALI- BALOGUN
INALE – JETA AMATA
A PRIVATE STORM – LANCELOT ODUWA IMASEUN/IKECHUKWU ONYEKA
Best Film in African Language
ARAMOTU – NIJI AKANNI (NIGERIA)
IZULU LAMI – MADODA NCAYIYANA (SOUTH AFRICA)
SOUL BOY- HAWA ESSUMAN (KENYA)
SUWI – MUSOLA CATHERINE KASEKETI (ZAMBIA)
FISHING THE LITTLE STONE – KAZ KASOZI (UGANDA)
Best Child Actor
SOBAHLE MKHABASE (THEMBI), TSCHEPANG MOHLOMI (CHILI-BITE) AND SIBONELO MALINGA(KHWEZI) – IZULU LAMI
ERIYA NDAYAMBAJE- DUDU IN AFRICA UNITED
JORDAN NTUNGA- ANTO IN VIVA RIVA
AYOMIDE ABATTI- YOUNG KASHI IN MAAMI
BENJAMIN ABEMIGISHA- ZEBU IN ZEBU AND THE PHOTOFISH
SHANTEL MWABI- BUPE IN SUWI
Best Young Actor
YVES DUSENGE (CHILD SOLDIER) AND ROGER NSENGIYUMUA (FOOTBALLER)- AFRICA UNITED
SAMSON ODHIAMBO AND LEILA DAYAN OPOU – SOUL BOY
EDWARD KAGUTUZI – MIRROR BOY
DONOVAN ADAMS – SHIRLEY ADAMS
JUNIOR SINGO – HOPEVILLE
Best Actor in Supporting Role
OSITA IHEME – MIRROR BOY
HOJI FORTUNA – VIVA RIVA
MPILO VUSI KUNENE – A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT
JOHN DUMELO – A PRIVATE STORM
DESMOND DUBE- HOPEVILLE
Best Actress in Supporting Role
MARY TWALA – HOPEVILLE
JOYCE NTALABE – THE RIVALING SHADOW
MARLENE LONGAGE- VIVA RIVA
TINA MBA -TANGO WITH ME
YVONNE OKORO – POOL PARTY
Best Actor in Leading Role
THEMBA NDABA – HOPEVILLE
PATSHA BAY -VIVA RIVA
JIMMY JEAN-LOUIS – SINKING SANDS
EKOW BLANKSON – CHECKMATE
ANTAR LANIYAN – YEMOJA
MAJID MICHEL – POOL PARTY
Best Actress in Leading Role
IDIAT SHOBANDE -ARAMOTU
OMONI OBOLI- ANCHOR BABY
MANIE MALONE – VIVA RIVA
AMA K. ABEBRESE- SINKING SANDS
DENISE NEWMAN -SHIRLEY ADAMS
GENEVIEVE NNAJI – TANGO WITH ME
Best Director
SOUL BOY – HAWA ESSUMAN
SHIRLEY ADAMS – OLIVER HERMANUS
VIVA RIVA – DJO TUNDA WA MUNGA
ARAMOTU – NIJI AKANNI
A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT – JAHMAIL. X. T QUBEKA
SINKING SANDS – LEILA DJANSI
Best Film
VIVA RIVA – DJO TUNDA WA MUNGA (CONGO)
SINKING SANDS – LEILA DJANSI (GHANA)
ARAMOTU – NIJI AKANNI (NIGERIA)
SOUL BOY – HAWA ESSUMAN (KENYA)
HOPEVILLE – JOHN TRENGOVE (SOUTH AFRICA)
A SMALL TOWN CALLED DESCENT – JAHMIL X.T QUBEKA (SOUTH AFRICA)
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Air pollution in slums sickening children; harming brain development- experts
Baby Hawa peers sleepily from the lappa strapping her to her mother’s back. Her mother, Mariama Issahaque, fries yams that she sells to residents and workers here.
One-year-old Hawa looks sickly. Her faint cry is broken up by a weak cough. Mucus drips from her nose.
The smoke from Mariama’s traditional three stone fire mixes with the filthy air – a mixture of tiny particles of sawdust from a wood market, emissions from animals traded here, and airborne chemicals in the smoke from the big dumpsite that has enveloped their neighborhood. Every breath Hawa takes is filled with toxins.
Agbogbloshie is one of the biggest slums and e-waste dumps in Ghana. The large site, on the Korle Lagoon near the centre of Accra, provides the Ghana’s vulnerable with a place to live and trade food, commodities, and electronic waste for income. But oversight by authorities is minimal and experts warn the toxic air is a time bomb, sickening the people here.
Children are among those most vulnerable to air pollution and baby Hawa is paying the price. Mariama, Hawa’s worried single mother, complains of frequent visits to drug shops to buy cold medicines and, when things are bad, to the clinic. Mariama struggles to find the money.
“My child does not fall sick regularly like this when we go to Walewale, capital of North East. We just returned to Accra from holidays, and this has started again,” Mariama says. She knows she should leave for her child’s sake.
“I remember asking the doctor at the clinic why my child frequently is getting sick. But his suggestion for us to leave the area is not within my means. If Allah permits and I get money, I will move. But for now, we have no choice.”
Alex Jagri, an attendant at Servant Drug store, near the makeshift wooden structure where Mariama and Hawa live in an area called Timber Market, sees the impact of the pollution on his neighbours. Flu and cold medications move fast here. He says he sells 35 bottles of cough mixture a week.
“Adults too come here reporting of chest pains,” Jagri says. “I feel bad about the situation, especially when as many as 20 children are brought here coughing and in terrible conditions. I refer the serious ones to the Children’s Hospital. The smoke is too bad and unbearable.”
As Ghana’s economy struggles and the population of Accra grows rapidly, Hawa is one of a growing number of children forced to live in slums and on Ghana’s streets. The slums are on the frontline of air pollution worldwide, according to Cities4Children, a global alliance of organisations working to protect child rights.
The source
One of the biggest sources of air pollution in informal settlements such as Agbogbloshie is solid waste burning. Ghana is fighting to deal with its solid waste. The country generates approximately 7.2 million metric tonnes of municipal solid waste a year, according to data from the Ministry of Sanitation.
For context, that much waste would fill 40-foot shipping containers lined up from Paga, the northernmost town in Ghana’s Upper East, to the southernmost town of Aflao, in the Volta region, more than four times.
Across the nation more than 20 per cent is burnt openly, while 37 per cent is disposed at dump sites. Poor waste management by authorities has compelled informal waste collectors to turn part of the Agbogbloshie slum into a general waste dumpsite that is permanently ablaze spewing smoke across the community day and night.
In the last six months hotspots in Accra have recorded concentrations of the most dangerous air pollution particles several times higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines recommend.
Agbogbloshie leads the pack with air pollution more than ten times higher than that recommended by the WHO, according to data sourced from Breath Accra, a community driven initiative that provides real-time air quality information.
Health experts in the area are disturbed by what they’re seeing.
“On a daily basis, parents from Agbogbloshie bring their children with cases linked to air pollution,” says Dr Maame Yaa Nyarko, Medical Superintendent at the Children’s Hospital, the only child referral facility in the Central Business District of Accra.
“These include pneumonia as well as allergic respiratory conditions. They often present early but do not have money to pay for services such as admission, x-rays and laboratory investigations.”
Dr Nyarko says respiratory cases are in the top three cases at the out-patient department. They are strongly linked to air pollution, poor ventilation and overcrowding in these communities.
“The danger is that the damage caused to children in slums through air pollution and malnutrition cannot be repaired because, malnutrition leads to impaired immunity as well as irreversible brain damage,” Dr Nyarko says.
“This means they cannot reach their potential in life. They may become adults who are not productive or may have chronic health problems.”
Alarmingly, tests conducted on children living in and around slum areas reveal high blood lead levels, a leading cause of delayed brain development, according to Dr Emmanuel Kyeremateng-Amoah, a health specialist with UNICEF. More than 1.7 million Ghanaian children are estimated to have high blood lead levels.
“Children are not supposed to be at slums because it is dangerous, conditions are unhealthy and unsafe,” Dr Kyeremateng-Amoah says.
He is one of many experts urging the government to tackle the problem urgently. “We have shared our findings with the Ministry of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency, and are working with the Ministry of Health to manage the children with high blood lead levels.
As a development partner we are committed to supporting the efforts of government to provide the necessary structures and regulations to make the environment healthier and safer for children.”
The impacts of early exposure to air pollution are clearly documented in studies around the world. A new study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found it increases the risk of developing asthma by early or middle childhood.
A Cities4Children study corroborated Harvard’s findings, adding that children’s exposure to high levels of air pollution can stunt lung growth, and lead to heart disease and increased rates of diabetes in children who would not normally develop these diseases so young.
“With every breath, children take in more air per unit of body weight than adults,” says a 2017 UNICEF report. “By extension, when air is toxic, they take in more toxic air per unit of body weight than adults.”
Awareness is also a problem. While Hawa’s mother, Mariama, is well informed about the dangers of air pollution many more parents are unaware or refuse to believe what the doctors tell them.
At an area called Cable and Wireless, another informal settlement in the heart of Bubuashie and Darkuman communities in Accra’s Okaikwei South, Wendy Adams holds her sickly three-year-old son Nicholas.
Since he was born Nicholas has been suffering a running nose and cough. He is pale, underweight and small for his age. Wendy has taken him to health clinics but she prefers to treat him with traditional medicines given by a local healer.
“I do not believe what the doctors and nurses are saying,” Wendy says. “These are the works of the devil, and we are praying towards his total healing.”
Experts warn that the number of children exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution is growing fast with worrying implications for Ghana’s future.
Ghana’s population has grown, and the slum population has nearly doubled in the three years to 2020, according to Ghana’s 2022 Report on its progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Government and local entrepreneurs act
Government and local community members have made efforts to clean up Agbobloshie and more actions are planned.
Two years ago, under the “Let’s Make Accra Work” initiative led by Mr Henry Quartey, then-Greater Accra regional minister, part of Agbobloshie was demolished and fenced. However, it had limited success. The demolition has not stopped activities at Agbobloshie and open burning of e-waste has just spread to other slums.
More than twenty local entrepreneurs have begun initiatives that are recycling the waste, particularly e-waste.
Government plans to run public awareness campaigns, to set up a drop-off point where people can drop off old electronics, and also a program where people can separate plastics to facilitate recycling.
The state also plans to crack down on companies that buy valuable metals from informal scrap dealers.
That will go some way to fixing the problem according to Mr Larry Kotoe, Deputy Director at the Environmental Protection Agency.
While acknowledging weak enforcement and failures in waste management have contributed to the problem, Deputy Director Kotoe says the government is committed to regulation and actions that will slowly transition to a system where importers of electronic appliances will be accountable through an online registry system.
“Our motivation is to get waste disposed properly and reduce air pollution,” says Mr Kotoe.
Experts say there is no time to waste. Until major progress is made in cleaning up the air in slum communities more and more children like Hawa, and Nicolas will pay a major price.
By Albert Oppong-Ansah/GNA
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the Clean Air Fund. The funder had no say in the story’s content.
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Ice Spice remix stamps Cash Cobain’s “Fisherrr” as the Song of the Summer
Billboard Rookie of the Month, and multi-hyphenate NYC star, Cash Cobain has just linked up with Ice Spice for the long-awaited video remix for “Fisherrr”(feat. BaySwag) [18m+ Streams]. After bubbling the past few years with R-rated anthems over his own ethereal production – creating the playful “sexy drill” sound that he’s pioneered and taken to mainstream heights, Cash Cobain is stamping himself as a serious song of the summer contender with this remix.
Following up his two smash singles “Dunk Contest” (8m+) and “Fisherrr” (pronounced, ‘for sure), Cash is primed for his moment in the spotlight –– hitting 1M Monthly Listeners on Spotify, Top 3 NYC Shazam Charts, having occupied the #1 + #3 slots of the NYC Apple Music Charts, hitting #45 on the Urban Radio Charts and counting, and now landing Ice Spice’s third feature ever –– in the words of COMPLEX, “the summer of 2024 is looking very slizzy”. On the highly-anticipated remix, Ice Spice is simply in top-tier shape.
Adding her signature magnetic ‘it-girl’ flair, charming cadence, and instantly-coinable one-liners, she bolsters the lightning-hot single into astronomical territory with the opening lines –– “Got an attitude but I’m feelingless, so I ain’t mad at you, And I’m tatted too on this fatty-tude, I’m the baddest boo”.
The long-overdue collab from the two Bronx natives is seamless, with her being a tailor-fit alongside the ethereal, dreamy production and silky smooth verses from Bay Swag and Cash. With the recent releases of “Dunk Contest” (watch Genius ‘Open Mic’) and now the Ice Spice-assisted remix for “Fisherrr” (feat. BaySwag), Cash Cobain is using his collaborative momentum from last year to continue elevating his signature sound, showcasing its influential and ever-growing widespread appeal in the process. In the words of Cash:“It’s a beautiful record. It feels amazing, it feels like NYC is back stronger than ever with me and Spice -– two Bronx legends. Get ready for the song of the summer.”
Last month, Cash took over NYC with his birthday show, ‘Slizzyfest’ at Irving Plaza –– a night that was slated as a stacked lineup of NY’s finest, with rumors of an A-list superstar surprise set. After chatter spread online and the hype reached a fever pitch, the crowd became too much to handle and the show was ultimately canceled –– but Cash wanted to give the fans their money’s worth so he ventured into Union Square and threw a makeshift show with his crew, a Bluetooth speaker, and hundreds of adoring fans (read ‘I Went to Cash Cobain’s Slizzyfest and All I Got Was That Classic NYC Feeling’ via Rolling Stone + statement in Billboard).
Also in Billboard, Cash recently teased potential collaborations with Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, Don Toliver (seen filming a music video here), Lil Yachty and more –– a surefire sign of the worldwide stardom soon to come. These recent releases arrive on the heels of a career-defining year in 2023 that closed with the production of PinkPantheress‘ “Nice To Meet You” (feat. Central Cee), which debuted at #20 on Billboard Hot 100 (he also starred alongside her in a nationally-syndicated Apple commercial for the new MacBook).
This was preceded by producing Drake’s “Calling For You” (feat. 21 Savage), which debuted at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, DJ’ing at Travis Scott‘s Cactus Jack x Audemars Piguet event, and releasing his critically-acclaimed debut solo album Pretty Girls Love Slizzy with Giant Music.
Please find links to stream the new “Fisherrr” Remix (feat. Ice Spice) below, and stay tuned for more announcements:
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