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South Africa's Somali refugee child stars fly to the Oscars

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asadAfter narrowly winning a race against time to get extended refugee status, passports and visas, brothers Harun and Ali Mohammed are flying from Cape Town to Hollywood today for Sunday’s Academy Awards, where their film Asad will compete in the Best Short Film category. 

The Somali refugee child stars will be accompanied by their father, Mahdi Hassan Mohamed, and will meet up in Los Angeles with Rafiq Samsodien,Asad’s South African producer, who’s had sleepless nights making the trip happen.

Speaking at Tuesday’s double screening of the Western Cape’s two Oscar-nominated films, Asad and the Rodriguez documentary Searching for Sugarman, Rafiq said, “I haven’t slept in 24 hours. I’ve been trying to get these guys extended refugee status documents, passports, and visas, which is not an easy task. Arranging this trip has been the biggest production of my life: what we’ve managed to achieve in three weeks would normally take four years, so I need to thank Minister Naledi Pandor, The Department of Home Affairs and the American embassy for coming through for us.” Written and directed by acclaimed American commercials director Bryan Buckley of Hungry Man, Asad is set in a war-torn fishing village in Somalia and follows a 12-year-old boy who must decide between falling into the pirate life and rising above it to become an honest fisherman.   Asad has scooped awards from 13 festivals around the world and has just received a glowing endorsement for Nobel Prize winner and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Tutu says, “South Africa is a relatively young democracy only recently emerged from the shackles of tyranny and prejudice. We have much to learn and we also have much to teach. Asad is at once a painful reminder of the xenophobia that shamefully still exists in South Africa and a heartwarming tribute to our special ability as members of the human family to heal ourselves.” The short film was sparked in part by a United Nations short documentary, No Autographs, which brought Buckley and his producer Mino Jarjoura to refugee camps in Kenya and Sudan in the summer of 2010. Filming in Somalia would have been too dangerous, so the short was brought to Rafiq and The Asylum (now Egg Films Service) to shoot in Paternoster in the Western Cape. Spoken in Somali with English subtitles, Asad stars an all-refugee cast, headed by Harun (14) and Ali (12). The brothers reside just outside Cape Town with their parents and 13 brothers and sisters. Before filming started, neither Harun nor Ali spoke English, so Buckley and Jarjoura had to deploy a translator. The boys had also never attended school, so they were illiterate and had to memorize their lines without a script or written point of reference. “These two kids were diamonds in the rough,” Rafiq says. “But if you’ve seen the performances, they shine much brighter than any diamond I have ever seen in my entire life.” Tutu agrees. “The young Somali actors Harun and Ali Mohamed are the stars of a compelling show. They are also real life stars in an inspirational South African story about hope and reconciliation. So are the filmmakers – South African Rafiq Samsodien and the US partners Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura. Before Asad the children had never attended school; now, thanks to the director, they have received catch-up private tuition and enrolled in a home school system. They are being equipped to contribute to our shared South African future. Their film has been nominated to receive an Oscar. They deserve two Oscars: one for the creative endeavor and the other for contributing to our collective understanding of our dependence on one another.” All prize money Asad receives from festivals goes towards the boys’ school expenses. Since March 2012, the boys have progressed from illiteracy to excelling in the fourth grade, in English.

Rafiq thanked everyone who made the children’s trip to the Oscars possible, including Melanie Mahona at The Provincial Government of The Western Cape, Nils Flaatten at Wesgro, The City of Cape Town, Myatt International, Woolworths, Dr. Anwar Nagiah, Marcel Golding, Tahir Salie, Munier Parker and Oryx Media, and The National Film and Video Foundation, who are sponsoring the flights and accommodation, among other costs.

The Academy Awards take place on 24 February 2012 at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. ]]>

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Social Trends: Sarkodie’s lyrics on ‘Hate’ Sparks Online Debate

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Sarkodie’s indirect diss on Jay Bahd’s song ‘Hate’ has sparked a significant online debate. (more…)

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Police arrest Nigerian music star, Portable over G-Wagon debt ..watch how he jumped over a gate to escape previous arrest

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Police arrest Nigerian music star, Portable over G-Wagon debt

The Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, arrested popular musician, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, for refusing to pay the debt he incurred when he purchased G-Wagon from a car dealer in the state.

PUNCH Online gathered that Portable, during the purchase of the vehicle worth N27m, paid only N13m and had refused to pay the N14m balance.

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It was learnt that whenever the car dealer contacted him to pay the balance, he usually claimed that the vehicle was bad

When efforts to get Portable to pay the balance proved abortive, our correspondent gathered that the car dealer reported the matter to the police and policemen detailed to investigate the case arrested Portable.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that Portable had been arrested.

He said, “Yes, Portable has been arrested. He bought G-Wagon for N27m, paid N13m and refused to pay the rest, claiming the vehicle was bad. We arrested him today.”

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Ghanaian footballer, Yaw Yeboah proposes to girlfriend, Gifty Boakye

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Yaw Yeboah proposes to girlfriend, Gifty Boakye

Ghanaian fashion model, Gifty Boakye has revealed on her birthday that her boyfriend and Ghanaian midfielder, Yaw Yeboah has officially proposed marriage to her.

Gifty shared photos of the happy moment when the Major League Soccer star, who plays for the Columbus Crew, popped the question ‘Will you marry me question?” in front of family and friends.

 

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A post shared by @giftyb_

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Yaw Yeboah won two trophies with Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew in 2023. The former Ghana U23 captain scored the winner as the Gold and Blacks defeated Los Angeles FC to win their third MLS title. Yeboah also starred in the Eastern Conference final as Columbus Crew came from two goals down to beat city rivals FC Cincinnati at the TQL Park. Yeboah, who made 37 appearances scoring four goals and providing five assists in the 2023 campaign, was rewarded with an invite to the Black Stars ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Gifty Boakye was born in the USA to parents who had immigrated from Ghana. At the age of 16 her dark complexion created drive and passion in her to begin to model and further to inspire young girls to love the skin they’re in. Today I enjoy sharing my story .life as a model, Entrepreneur, philanthropist, & public speaker now living in Accra Ghana.

After receiving my degree in communications arts from St Johns University, I started my first company NVTIVE in 2017 an online Boutique that pays homage to international cultured in apparel & art. In 2018 I founded Sister S.L.A.Y a nonprofit that empowers young girls ages 11-18 through educational workshops and self-confidence rebuilding.

Fun facts about Gifty, she can rap almost any Jay Z record word for word. She loves spending time with family& friends. Her favorite food is Waakye and in 2017 also Gifty reigned as the face of festival AFROCHELLA. Her guilty pleasure is gummy bears. She was also in a relationship with Ghanaian footballer Thomas Partey.

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Rema Sparks Big 3 Debate in Nigerian Music Scene

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The Nigerian music scene is buzzing with discussions about the ‘Big 3’ artists, with Olamide, Davido, and Wizkid being the most frequently mentioned. (more…)

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“I produced most of the biggest hit songs in Ghana last year” – Beatz Vampire claims the crown ahead of TGMA 2024

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Beatz Vampire

Showbiz and showboating go hand in hand and Beatz Vampire is sticking to the script. As one of the industry’s most sought-after producers, he confidently declares 2023 his own and believes none of his peers even come close heading into the Telecel Ghana Music Awards 2024.

Despite the prominent awards show just a month away–June 1, Beatz Vampire is already anticipating a clean sweep under its rebranded glory. His gaze is set on one of the night’s most coveted achievements: the “Producer of the Year” award. And with four hits credited to him under three artists in the previous year alone, it is easy to see why he is confidence levels are stratospheric.

Last year, the young producer was all over the place. His work on JZyNO and Lasmid’s ‘Butta My Bread’ was a mega success, bringing over 160M streams across platforms. The song’s popularity on TikTok also got under the skin of artists like Nigeria’s Ruger, who tried to downplay its quality and appeal. Beatz Vampire chased this down with equally catchy tracks like ‘Goodsin,’ ‘Likor’ and ‘I Lied,’ which garnered similar acclaim. 

Indeed, Beatz Vampire has a good chance of winning the award. Since the nominations list dropped, his name has been on the lips of fans who showed their support. The producer chimed in on his fans’ sentiments, saying: “I feel honored even though this was expected. I produced most of the biggest hit songs in Ghana last year, from JZyNO and Lasmid’s ‘Butta My Bread’ to Olivetheboy’s ‘Goodsin,’ Kidi’s ‘Likor’ and ‘I Lied,’ so it’s only right I am handed the award on that night. Big shouts to the rest of the nominees though.”

Of course, Beatz Vampire is no stranger to the hype around prestigious awards. In 2022, he was nominated “Producer of the Year” at the Ghana Music Awards USA and Ghana Music Awards France. His contributions over the years, like Jahmiel’s ‘Beautiful,’ P-Square’s ‘Jaiye,’ Shatta Wale’s ‘Hajia Bintu’ and ‘1 Don,’ Mr Drew’s ‘Mood’ and ‘S3k3,’ Lasmid’s ‘Atele’ and ‘Sika,’ among others, were super hits of their time. But this year in review is a special one. He believes after so many years of missing out, the award is coming home.

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As the Telecel Ghana Music Awards (formerly the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards) draws close, Beatz Vampire stands on the cusp of glory.

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Gospel singer KODA passes on, after reportedly battling a kidney disease

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Gospel singer, Kofi Owusu Dua Anto popularly known as KODA is dead.

He died on Sunday after reportedly battling a kidney disease.

Tributes, especially from gospel musicians started flying on social media on Sunday when they heard about KODA’s passing.

Some musicians expressed shock when they heard about the death of the gospel stalwart.

Among those who expressed their shock were, Empress Gifty, who posted on Facebook: “I hope it’s not true, KODA,” with crying emojis.

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Speaking to Graphic Showbiz on Sunday afternoon, Gospel musician Nii Okai, a very close friend of KODA said, “I wish I could tell you another thing but that’s the truth. KODA is dead”.

He said it was quite shocking to him considering that KODA was doing very fine after going through treatment.

KODA, celebrated for his uplifting melodies and soulful compositions, was not just a singer but a producer who left an indelible mark on the Ghanaian music scene.

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