Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study

Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study

Written by Obinna Akukwe

Nigerian politicians have carried their blatant disrespect for God and godly behavior to Prayer Camps, Adoration Grounds and Redemption Camps where they constantly desecrate the hallowed environment. Many prayer camps abound in Nigeria including Alone With God Prayer Camp, Abuja, Scripture Union Camp of Faith Okigwe which serves clerics cutting across denominations in the South East and South South. There is Adoration Ground in Emene, Enugu managed by Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, Adoration Ground in Uke, Anambra State managed by Rev Fr Emmanuel Obinma popularly called ( Ebube Muonso), Upper Room Ministries of late Rev Fr Njoku  in  Emene, Enugu. Bishop Oyedepo manages Canaan Land, Pastor Kumuyi controls Deeper Life Camp Ground , Pastor Odukoya controls Mountain of Fire  Prayer City, Pastor Adeboye  controls Redemption Camp all within Lagos- Shagamu expressway. These prayer camps were established to enable Christians seek the face of God in matters of holiness, dedication, repentance, prosperity, healing, deliverance and even national rebirth, and these aforementioned camps have some doses of presence of God in their activities.

Redemption Camp is the biggest prayer camp in Africa. There is no doubt for any spiritually discerning observer that the Redemption Camp carries some doses of the Presence of God especially during Holy Ghost Congress, Holy Ghost Service etc. Many Nigerians throng to the camp to seek a conducive environment to communicate with God away from the distractions of city life and busy schedule. The same environment had also attracted many troubled politicians including former president Obasanjo who ran to the place when Pastor Tunde Bakare prophesied that his Ota born head will be severed by Nigerian coup plotters before May 1999 in a widely reported controversial prophecy. Reports have it that he also visited the camp later on in his presidency.

This Redeemed Camp has been troubled by those who troubles Nigeria including looters of public treasury, riggers of elections, political liars, economic kidnappers and perpetrators of social and political injustice. They also came to seek the face of God to continue with their acts of evil against the Nigerian people. Their activities would have gone unnoticed until Nigeria’s President Jonathan went to the camp and knelt before Pastor Adeboye in show of strange humility in December 2010 meant to achieve electoral advantage. At the end of the day, many Christians voted for Jonathan because he knelt before Baba Adeboye. Two years later, when his popularity dwindled due to draconian economic policies, mountain corruption and removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria’s President Jonathan ran to the Camp again, mounted the podium and reeled lies and deceits that he has not made up his mind to re-contest for re-election in 2015, when his close friends have already told many Nigerians that nothing will stop their man in 2015. Barely three weeks after lying at the Redeemed Camp, he unleashed mayhem on his Rivers State kinsman, Rotimi Amechi, and his supporters for daring to have interest in the same presidency he is ‘YET’ to decide on.

Holy Ghost Adoration Ground, Uke, in Anambra State is another popular camp which receives hordes of visitors. Many Catholics have found solace in that place managed by Rev Fr Obinma and God had also met them there in one way or the other. That ground has been a source of succor to lots of Anambrarians under the groan of imbecile leadership for many years that they have to resort to God and Fr Emmanuel Obinma for spiritual solutions to man-made malfeasance due to societal maladministration. It was in such state where God is being solicited to deliver the people from kidnappers, robbers, unemployment, diseases etc. that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Party Chairman, Victor Umeh, and APGA Gubernatorial Flag bearer, Willy Obiano, among others, invaded the solemn arena, and turned it into a campaign arena where they wanted to woo some of the adherents of the prayer ground in the same manner President Jonathan swooped on Redemption Camp to woo voters. 

Unlike the Redemption Camp where the worshipers were excited that President Jonathan knelt before their General Overseer, the Adoration worshipers where not impressed with the presence of Governor Peter Obi in their hallowed ground. They booed, murmured and hissed as he spoke to them. They detested any political presence while they are trying to locate God. Governor Obi and his team later knelt down for prayers the same manner Jonathan knelt before Adeboye yet the worshipers were not impressed. By the time the governor and his team of politicians left, they have desecrated the place so much that death soon followed in their trails. 

Thirty Five Roman Catholics, under the Pontificate of poor people loving Pope Francis were trampled by agents of wealthy, looting politicians because they went to seek God in a prayer Camp. This is because politicians have desecrated prayer grounds sometimes with the connivance of the clerics while in some other cases they used and dumped the clerics without their knowledge.  In the case of Redeemed Camp, nobody died physically, but many RCCG fans constantly die emotionally, politically, psychologically whenever occult, corrupt, looting, insensitive and wicked politicians are given undue attention in the place. After the 2012 political campaign at the Redemption Camp, one of Adeboye’s pastors, Bankole, a lawyer and human rights activist resigned from the pastorate in protest over the desecration of the Camp Hallowed Podium by corrupt politicians.

The Uke tragedy is a divine sign that ‘whosoever breaks the hedge, the serpent will bite’. Whatsoever caused their death; this is the first time death is being recorded on that ground. These politicians have desecrated the holy ground at Uke, and instead of apologizing, they are playing politics with it. The clergy cannot avoid the blame for whatsoever happens in that Camp. Governor Peter Obi, Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram Warlord Malam Shekau, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, Senator Bola Tinubu, General Buhari and others have the right to visit prayer camps. While in such camps, they should be in prayer mood like other worshipers, and apart from official protocols of recognition, they might, at most, be only allowed to greet the church and should be more involved in repenting of their acts of mis-governance which they visited on defenseless Nigerians, instead of hypocritical sermonization and political campaigning.

 Nigerian politicians have added in their trails of looting, thieving, lying, murder, assassinations, kidnapping and insensitivity, another vice; desecration of camp ground and insulting the spiritual sensibilities of innocent Nigerians-very soon the original owner of these prayer ground would go on rampage and there may be nowhere to hide for those who aid and abet the desecration of spiritual places of succor.

Contact:
 Obinna Akukwe

Profetobinna2@yahoo.com

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The World's Top 60 Countries in English

5 Nov 2013 10:30 Africa/Lagos

The World's Top 60 Countries in English According to the EF English Proficiency Index  



ZURICH, November 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Scandinavian Countries Continue to Lead Rankings, as Asia Races Ahead of Latin America and the Middle East in English Ability.

EF Education First, the global leader in international education, today published the results of this year's EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) - the world's most comprehensive ranking of English ability.  In addition to ranking 60 countries and territories by their English skills, the EF EPI for the first time includes an analysis of English proficiency trends over a six-year period that has seen intense investment in English language learning.  The EF EPI also finds correlations between the English skills of a nation's workforce and the country's economic outlook.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
"Comparison of countries with their neighbours, trading partners, and rivals provides a fascinating study in divergent national priorities and educational policies worldwide," said Dr.Christopher McCormick, Head of EF's Academic Affairs and Research Network. "We found that by engaging in a national dialogue about English, stakeholders can help align goals, improve incentives, and focus on teaching English for communication.  The economic impact of such a coordinated program is clear."


This year's country rankings are based on tests taken by 750,000 adults from 60 countries in 2012.  The analysis of evolving English proficiency over a six-year period (2007 to 2012 inclusive) uses test data from nearly five million adults.


Key findings include:

• Some Asian countries, in particular Indonesia and Vietnam, have transformed their English proficiency over the six-year period.  China has also improved, although less dramatically.  Japan and South Korea, despite enormous private investments, have declined slightly.
• Across the board, English language skills are improving in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).  This year, India and Russia have moved ahead of China, and Brazil is closing in fast.  
• While the rest of Europe is already proficient in English or steadily working towards that goal, France is on an entirely different trajectory. The seven countries with the strongest English are all small European nations, whose size compels them to adopt an international outlook.
• The Middle East and North Africa are the weakest regions in English. These oil-rich nations have staked their futures on developing knowledge economies before their oil production peaks. An exception to the region's lackluster performance is the United Arab Emirates, which has improved significantly.  
• Turkey has improved the most of any nation over the six-year period. This is a positive trend, coming as the country continues to develop according to a number of economic factors.
• Poland and Hungary have made tremendous progress in learning English. These new English skills are an important step towards building the knowledge economies they aspire to have.
• Poor English remains one of the key competitive weaknesses of Latin America. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chile have improved, but they still lack the large base of competent English speakers necessary for a globalized workforce. Some countries in the region, including Mexico and Guatemala, have declining English proficiency.
•  

Published by EF Education First, the world's leading international education company, the EF English Proficiency Index is the largest ranking of English skills.  The full EF EPI ranking for 2013 is below. Additional analysis and graphs are available at: http://www.ef.com/epi/
 
Future editions of the EF EPI will feature data from the EF Test of English -the world's first free standardized English test available online to any English learner.


EF Education First (http://www.ef.com) was established in 1965 with the mission to break down barriers of language, culture, and geography. With 460 schools and offices in over 50 countries, EF specializes in language learning, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange programs. EF served as the Official Language Training Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is currently the Official Language Training Supplier of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

EF English Proficiency Index Third Edition

    Rank Country
     1   Sweden
     2   Norway
     3   Netherlands
     4   Estonia
     5   Denmark
     6   Austria
     7   Finland
     8   Poland
     9   Hungary
     10  Slovenia
     11  Malaysia
     12  Singapore
     13  Belgium
     14  Germany
     15  Latvia
     16  Switzerland
     17  Portugal
     18  Slovakia
     19  Argentina
     20  Czech Republic
     21  India
     22  Hong Kong SAR
     23  Spain
     24  South Korea
     25  Indonesia
     26  Japan
     27  Ukraine
     28  Vietnam
     29  Uruguay
     30  Sri Lanka
     31  Russia
     32  Italy
     33  Taiwan
     34  China
     35  France
     36  United Arab Emirates
     37  Costa Rica
     38  Brazil
     39  Peru
     40  Mexico
     41  Turkey
     42  Iran
     43  Egypt
     44  Chile
     45  Morocco
     46  Colombia
     47  Kuwait
     48  Ecuador
     49  Venezuela
     50  Jordan
     51  Qatar
     52  Guatemala
     53  El Salvador
     54  Libya
     55  Thailand
     56  Panama
     57  Kazakhstan
     58  Algeria
     59  Saudi Arabia
     60  Iraq

Video: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
 
CONTACT: Media Inquiries: adam.bickelman@ef.com or Tel: +852-2111-2370

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Baron De Valls Re-Confirms Control of the Nigerian Wine Market

Baron De Valls Re-Confirms Control of the Nigerian Wine Market

By Ingram Osigwe

The progress of wine among beverages on the Nigerian consumers’ list of staples can be compared to the gradual march of civilization from echelon to echelon, through the various historical epochs. There is no known documented history but the first European beverages to reach the Nigerian coasts must have been the rums. Easily brewed and preserved, they were a favourite of the Portuguese sailors and soon became a currency of exchange for slaves, between the Portuguese and local chiefs. Also they became the first European beverages to be brewed locally in the riverine communities of Niger-delta area. 

Although wines existed in Europe before beer, their expensive nature even in Europe made them to be scarce outside the Western countries. With the invention of pasteurization and canning as a process of food preservation, beers and stouts, whose raw materials are far cheaper and more easily procurable, became the next beverages to arrive in commercial quantities into Nigeria. With canning prolonging their shelf lives, they arrived first in cans and was later brewed in Nigerian factories and sold in refillable bottles.

Real wines remained a sole preserve of the rich and mighty, most of who are elites who bought them on shopping sprees abroad. 

In the late 70s and early 80s, Ekulo International ltd, one of the foremost pioneers of international trade and brand representation in the Nigeria, forayed into wine importation, first with brands such as Campari and Mateuse Rose. The coincidence of this move with the arrival of newly discovered oil wealth at the same time, created a cataclysmic success out of the venture for the visionary company. A fast expanding middle class of young graduate workers, serving in new organizations in an explosively growing economy fuelled by the newly discovered oil wealth, arrived in the Nigerian demography. With new salaries and high living standards, they latched onto the newly arrived wines, thus becoming the first crop of connoisseurs to acquire a taste for wine in the country.

Spurred by the success of this experience,  Ekulo International ltd, was encouraged to sign a sole distributorship contract with Bodegas Gandia wine fields in Spain. The result was the arrival of Baron De Valls wines on the Nigerian consumers’ table.

Baron De Valls became an instant success. Made from the best wine grapes from Valencia, Spain’s foremost wine making region where the Bodegas Gandia family reigned supreme as wine makers, Baron De Valls’ sterling qualities immediately crowned it as the king of the wines in Nigeria. So great was the demand that the Gandia family’s annual production had to be increased to meet Nigeria’s demands. From Weddings, traditional and contemporary, to naming ceremonies, house warming parties, promotion parties, annual general meetings and birthdays, to weekend parties, no event was complete without Baron De Valls. So strong was the brand’s influence that for many Nigerians, Baron De Valls became the only known appellation for wines, as no local school had any reason to explain the origins and name of beverages made from grapes!

Baron de Valls are a range of excellent wines, made with a selection of the best grapes, and comes in various flavours like Cherry, ripe fruit, creamy oak, minerals and a sweet finish. Baron De Valls have great taste which makes it very outstanding. They also have sufficient percentage of alcohol which makes them ideal for any party or get together. Baron de Valls wine recently thrilled her teeming admirers with more wine varieties by the debut of Baron De Valls Cabernet Sauvignon, Baron De Valls Cava Brut and Brut Rose.

The great success of Baron De Valls however of recent, led to the odious cropping up of other wines who try to ride on a platform sacrificially built by Ekulo International ltd, to reap consumers’ patronage where they did not sow.  So many other counterfeit drinks now arrive the Nigerian market, with their names bearing the prefix of “Baron De…..” with all kinds of suffixes. The aim is to deceive uninformed Nigerians into thinking that they are all like Baron De Valls. However, in a recent media parley, the marketing Manager of Ekulo Group of companies, Mr. Emeka Oramadike assured Nigerians that the company had taken visionary steps to forestall any moves to deceive Nigerians into buying other wines in the name of Baron De Valls. He said that thus the company found it necessary to come out and say to the Nigerian Media and Public: “IF IT IS NOT BARON DE VALLS, IT CANNOT BE LIKE BARON DE VALLS” He urged millions of their loyal Baron De Valls Consumers not to be deceived by look alikes, but to stay comfortably and immovably with their beloved Baron De Valls because the quality and price will not change and henceforth, it will be available even closer to them than before. 

Among Strategies listed by the company for re-strengthening the brand are massive seasonal bonuses for the Christmas yuletide as well as reduced prices, greater availability and more credit lines to new and old distributors, to ensure a wider reach of the wine to loyal consumers. According to him, these moves are born out of the knowledge of the company that if the real Baron De valls wine is available, the chances of the loyal consumers being deceived by counterfeit substitutes will be completely eliminated. 

Also speaking at the parley, The Head, Sales and marketing for Ekulo group of companies Mr. Pawan Moudgil, while supporting his colleague, urged Nigerians not to be swayed or stampeded into abandoning their loyalties for Baron De Valls. He reassured them that Baron De Valls was produced in Valencia, the highest and most traditionally revered wine-making region in Spain by the Vincente Bodegas Gandia wine making family. He said that the company is over one hundred and twenty five years old and has retained an untainted culture of making quality wines fit for royalties. He said that today, the company has presence in over 85 countries world wide, combining tradition with innovation and quality to create wines of value at affordable prices, thus becoming undisputedly one of the most professional wine making outfits in Spain today. He says: “to sell millions of bottles year after year in such difficult and demanding markets as the UK, the wines must be free of any weaknesses and to achieve this, consistency in the best managerial practices is needed and this is what Bodegas Gandia does.” Mr. Pawan said that at Bodegas Gandia, there is one single policy: all wines must be “Not Just Good but Great”

Epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that moderate consumption of red wine such as Baron De Valls, wine is statistically associated with a decrease in cardiovascular illness such as heart failure. Moderate wine drinkers have a lower risk of heart problems than non-drinkers. Studies have also shown that there are greater benefits for red wine than white wine. Red wines like baron De valls contain a lot of polyphenols which are particularly protective against cardiovascular diseases. They also contain a substance known as resveratrol, produced in the skins of grape. Resveratrol is proven to have cardio-protective and chemo-protective effects and have wide influence on genetic factors related to aging, thus reducing the negative effects of aging. White wine has little resveratrol due to the manufacturing process which engenders limited contact with the grape skins. Other beneficial compounds in red wine also include anti-oxidants and flavonoids. 

To benefit fully from the resveratrol in wine, it is recommended to sip slowly when drinking. Due to inactivation in the gut and liver, most of the resveratrol consumed while drinking red wine does not reach blood circulation. However when sipping slowly, absorption via the mucus membranes in the mouth can result in up to 100 percent increment in blood levels of resveratrol.

According to Oramadike the loyal consumers o Baron De Valls will be assured of longer life and freedom from cardiovascular ailments this season as their favourite and top quality Baron De valls will be more available than ever and at a more affordable price. He says as far as the wine market in Nigeria is concerned, there are two brands: Baron De Valls and others. He reiterated that major concern of the company is to protect its loyal consumers, not struggling for market share as the market already belongs to Baron De Valls.

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Contesting Politicians and Nigerian Churches Cannot Fool God

A Nigerian politician and a church minister at a recent crusade. The South-East chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has banned political campaigns in churches across the zone after dozens of congregants were killed in a tragic stampede at the night vigil crusade of a church attended by a governor in Uke, Anambra state.

Contesting politicians always patronize big churches before elections and PLEASE, a true minister of God should know that they are only coming to curry favour.
Don't welcome them to your crusades.
 
If they really want to repent and reconcile with God, they can do so in private consultations with the ministers of God and not public show of piety of eye service and lip service.

NO MAN CAN FOOL GOD.

All these going to Jerusalem to hit heads on the Wailing Wall like a Jew and kneeling down for ministers to pray for you and publishing the photographs is all HYPOCRISY.

Going to hit your heads on the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem has nothing to do with Christianity. 

Sponsoring pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mecca has nothing to do with Christianity.
God is omnipresent.

Going to kneel before GOs at crusades is all public relations for political campaigns.

YOU MAY FOOL THE CHURCH AND THE WHOLE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN NEVER FOOL GOD.

The following is what our Lord and Messiah Jesus Christ said on Prayer and Hypocrites:

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.Fasting
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

~ Matthew 6: 5 - 34.
New International Version (NIV)

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, prize winning writer and Author of "In the House of Dogs", "The Prophet Lied" and other books. He is also the Founder of the annual Eko International Film Festival, Publisher/Editor of Nigerians Report Online, CEO, International Digital Post Network Limited, CEO, Screen Outdoor Open Cinema, CEO, Nigeria IMAX Project, Executive Director of Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project and CEO, of King of Kings Books International.

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Hollywood, Health & Society Partner Nollywood Workshops and India Using Entertainment To Improve Lives

1 Nov 2013 13:00 Africa/Lagos  

World's Largest Film Industries Using Entertainment To Improve Lives New Global Centers in Nigeria and India Partner with Hollywood for Social Impact  

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- India's Bollywood and Nigeria's Nollywood film industries are leveraging the power of entertainment in an effort to prevent disease and improve the quality of life for the hundreds of millions of viewers of their TV shows and films. A two-year, $2.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) is supporting a groundbreaking partnership across the world's leading entertainment industries to increase visibility of pressing social and health issues.


HH&S is a program of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. As research by the Lear Center and others has shown, entertainment has a profound impact on people's knowledge, attitudes and behavior. That's why, since 2001, the U.S.'s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other funders have enabled HH&S to connect Hollywood's creative community, including the writers of Homeland , Mad Men, House, CSI, The Good Wife, Breaking Bad and scores of other shows, with experts on the full range of public health issues, for free. 
Now HH&S is going global, teaming up with new centers in Lagos, Nigeria and Mumbai, India that will conduct sustained and systematic outreach to their entertainment industries in order to increase the accuracy, accessibility and frequency of health and other socially-relevant topics in television, film and new media.
In Lagos, HH&S is partnering with Nollywood Workshops, directed by Bond Emeruwa and Aimee Corrigan, to launch the Gist program. Gist will support independent filmmakers in Nollywood's thriving entertainment scene who are working to inspire and inform a growing audience across Africa. In early 2014, Gist will host at a high-profile industry event in Nigeria, where leading Hollywood writers will join their Nollywood counterparts and top medical experts in a series of workshops and site visits.
In Mumbai, HH&S and the Asian Center for Entertainment Education have created The Third Eye, which will produce original content dealing with pressing public health and development issues, and will also provide free expert resources on a wide variety of medical and scientific topics.  Long known for its entertaining musicals and comedies, Bollywood is now seeing the rise of a "parallel cinema" featuring more serious and provocative stories. Vinta Nanda, founder and managing director of The Third Eye, is a writer and producer known for her pioneering work as creator of the popular Indian TV series, Tara. HH&S trips bringing Grey's Anatomy co-executive producer Zoanne Clack and Writers Guild of America, West president Chris Keyser to Mumbai laid the groundwork for the Third Eye collaboration.
"We're thrilled to be able to bring what we've learned about social impact in the U.S. to our partners in Nollywood and Bollywood, which are even bigger industries than Hollywood," said USC Annenberg professor Martin Kaplan, the Lear Center's founding director and principal investigator of HH&S since its inception.


HH&S's Chris Dzialo will manage the global centers program from the Norman Lear Center in Los Angeles.
Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, recognizes the effects that entertainment media have on individual knowledge, attitudes and behavior and provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate information about public health, health care coverage and climate change. HH&S offers free resources to writers and producers, including briefings and consultations with experts, panel discussions at the Writers Guild of America, West, customized site visits, screenings, tip sheets, a newsletter and web links to health information and public service announcements.  The program also conducts studies of the impact on storylines on audiences. For more information, visit usc.edu/hhs .
The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center that has been studying and shaping the impact of entertainment and media on society since 2000. From its base in the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges between faculty who study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. For more information, visit learcenter.org.

 
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For information, visit gatesfoundation.org.


SOURCE Norman Lear Center
CONTACT: Chris Dzialo, (323) 782-3310, dzialo@usc.edu
Web Site: http://www.hollywoodhealthandsociety.org

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The African Film Festival of Cordoba Reaches 13,000 Spectators in its 10th Edition

The African Film Festival of Cordoba reaches 13,000 spectators in its tenth edition Annual date of reference in Europe for African cinemas

Cordoba, 4^th November 2013. The African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT has reached 13,000 spectators in its tenth edition, celebrated from the 11^th to the 19^th of October. In its second year at Cordoba, after eight editions in Tarifa (Cadiz), the audiences have enjoyed a panoramic view towards the realities of cinemas in Africa and the Arab World, through 70 films from 32 different countries, and a series of round tables, conferences and exhibitions, among other activities. 

 FCATstaff.

The director of FCAT Cordoba, Mane Cisneros, has highlighted that the festival “has managed to maintain the number of spectators despite the very hard times that Spain is going through”. In this tenth anniversary, the organisation has designed a very modest festival regarding funding (200,000€), yet “under high standards of quality”.

Cisneros considers that this piece of data confirms that Cordoba has made a good choice by consolidating the festival in its city. However, she has pointed out that “if we want the festival to grow, we will need to find solutions fighting against the scarcity of means that we have worked with this year”.

In this way, the festival –organised by the NGOD Al Tarab, supported mainly by the City Council of Cordoba, and sponsored by Magtel, Halal Institute, El Corte Inglés, Turkish Airlines, Diputación de Córdoba and Eurostarshotes, among others – cements its place as the annual date of reference in Europe for African cinemas. Today, it is the only Spanish event devoted to the film productions in Africa and one of the most important events in the world.

During the festival, a total of 13,000 spectators have joined the screens and at Cordoba to enjoy the wide range of activities offered by the festival. Among them, 3,000 children and teenagers have participated in the Learning Space of FCAT Cordoba, an on-growing number thanks to the work carried out by the areas of Education and Cooperation in the City Council of Cordoba, as well as the contributions of a large number of teachers.

Under the aim of bringing African cinemas for all publics, the festival has integrated in its programme screenings across the province and municipalities of Cordoba, as well as a storyteller in the squares of the town.

The director of the festival has also highlighted the importance of the volunteering team in this tenth edition, “as an indispensible link with the city” and organising numerous activities of citizen participation during the weeks prior to the festival. These parallel activities proposes “as festival open to the citizens, offering it much more than a week of cinema”. Thus, and always thanks to the volunteering team, “we will try to keep all these activities for the whole year, so that there is a consolidation of audiences for the incoming editions”.

Once again, FCAT Cordoba has organised the FCAT Espacio Profesional, gathering together a number of international experts on African and Arab cinemas as well as European and African producers, distributers and filmmakers, seeking to find new ways of funding these projects and prompting new links between Africa and Europe, allowing young African filmmakers to develop their film projects.

The festival has reached around 550 publications in the national media, valued in over 750,000€. Also, the international media coverage has reached around 300 publications, bringing new countries on board, such as China, India, Madagascar and Peru. Almost 100 journalists have been accredited to come and cover the festival for their media. 

A city of cinema

The African Film Festival of Cordoba, celebrating its tenth anniversary, has proposed, between the 11^th and the 19^th of October, a panoramic trip across 32 different countries, loyal to its aim to contribute to a better understanding of the neighbouring continent through its cinemas.

Over 70 films have been screened during one week, whose subjects revolve around Africa and the Middle East. Out of these 70 films, 27 were part of the three competitive sections: The African Dream (feature length films), The Other Side of the Strait (documentary films) and Africa in Short (documentary and feature short films).

National Media Office:

María José Martín

Tel.: +34 659 80 88 16

gabineteprensa@fcat.es

International Media Office:

Estrella Sendra

Tel.: +34 667 39 26 13

media@fcat.es

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