Ekulo International Limited Relaunches Baron De Valls Wine in Nigeria

Ekulo International Limited Relaunches Baron De Valls Wine

~ By Ingram Osigwe

The Nigerian wine market is set to receive the Ekulo impact. This is because Ekulo International limited, one of Nigeria’s foremost distributors of consumer products and international manufacturers’ representatives is currently beaming the spotlight on one of its most valued brands on the Nigerian market, Baron De Valls class of wines. To this end the company will on Tuesday,March 26,2013 re-launch the product. The event will holds at Welcome Centre Hotel, International Airport Road, Ikeja, Lagos.

The classy wine range has brands that cover all varieties and classifications in the connoisseurs’ list and has variants such as Red, Rose and White. Baron De Valls has been in the Nigerian market for a while and has never lacked patronage. Consumers are emphatic that Baron de Valls opened the wine taste bud of many Nigerians. The product is however re-storming the Nigerian wine market with a big bang.
In re-launching this choice brand, therefore, Ekulo international Ltd hopes to further furnish its vast retinue of loyal consumers with information on the advantages of the product, its competent price regimes and its availability.



BARON DE VALLS
Baron de Valls are a range of excellent wines, made with a selection of the best grapes, that is full of 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.

Baron de Valls is produced by the Bodegas Gandia winery in Valencia, Spain. Founded in 1885, it is the leading winery in Valencia (Spain’s foremost wine region) with international presence in 85 countries. The winery has presence in 10 different appellations of origin where high quality, reasonable prices and consistency from one vintage to the next are the winery’s hallmarks. Today the winery is run by Jose Maria Gandia, the founder’s grandson.

Bodegas Gandia has grown to be undisputed as one of the most professional wine making outfits in Spain. 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, the best of managerial practices is needed and that is what Bodegas Gandia does.
According to Jose Maria Gandía, president of the winery:
“our philosophy is simple; our wines must meet one single objective: not ‘good’ but ‘great’. We market high quality wines from the most important wine regions at the fairest price possible. We represent quality, value and most of all character and heritage, we are proud of both the wine we speak for and the people behind it.”

In celebrating its 125th anniversary, Vicente Gandia winery remains true to the values it held when it was created, to combine tradition with internationalization, to back innovation with quality, to be committed to promoting wine culture and to contribute to welfare and progress of society.

AVAILABILITY
Ekulo assures numerous consumers of Baron De valls as well as new converts to the brand that Baron De Valls range of wines are available in shops, malls, supermarkets and in wholesale quantities with all major dealers of the company’s products, not only in Nigeria, but all over the west coast of Africa. According to Ekulo,not only are the prices excellent, the company’s distribution network makes it easy to locate Baron de valls in every hamlet, village and towns in Nigeria.In Lagos for example,Baron De Valls is visible in major supermarkets and bars throughout the metropolis. It is also the choice brand of event managers and organizers.
For Connoisseurs in Victoria Island, Baron de Valls has a comfortable nest at Ekulo Wine World, a top grade wine shop located in the upscale Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The wine is excellent for marriages, birthdays, luncheons, AGMs, anniversaries, love feasts and all kinds of get together. Most important of all, it is excellent for cooking and for a resounding healthy meal in a domestic menu. Its affordability makes it the home maker’s favourite.

DRINKING WINE FOR GOOD HEALTH
Epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that moderate consumption of 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 contain a lot of polyphenols which are particularly protective against cardiovascular diseases. Red wine also contains 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.

HOW TO DRINK



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.


Media Contact:
Mr. Ingram Adichie Osigwe
MD/CEO Fullpage International Communications Limited.

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The Ethnic-Religious and Environmental Challenges of Nigerian Prisons

An unidentified prison in Nigeria.

Nigeria Prison Challenges reflect Ethnic-Religious and Environmental Anxieties, and not the Control General

At the time of this writing, at least 52, 000, offenders and inmates are locked up in different prisons across the country with more than half, awaiting trials for various offences.

The Nigerian population is estimated to at least 160, 000, with continued explosive rates. The health care, sanitation, and general living conditions in the country remain poor, with the prisons more in drastic conditions in these areas.
The country remains troubled by sporadic outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and other sickness which are even worse in prisons and complicated by riots and prison outbreaks.

The country has more than 250 ethnic groups, with varying languages and customs, creating a country of intense ethnic relationship, with the people almost divided equally between Islam and Christianity between north and south.

Actually, in terms of religious practices there are more Muslims than Christians in the nation. The prison system which is secular in nature is almost seen as unholy in the North especially by the religious extremists, given its British legal image and standing.

This perception has in recent times resulted in brutal actions from Islamic insurgents as evidenced in the burning of prison buildings, killing of officers and freeing of prisoners. These insurgents whom America have refused to declare as Terrorists for prevailing social, cultural and economic reasons where the North is seen as a victim of the larger society; remain strong in their assaultive acts.
They use powerful assault weapons and explosive-laden cars and devises to attack their targets and they continue to do these things in a society with poorly unregulated access to weapons.

On a human side, questions need to be asked? Could officers at least some of them , be silently driven by religious indoctrinations, ethnic loyalty, personal gains and communal ills, making current trends of problems bound to get worse at various prisons?


A section of Port Harcourt prison.

No one can deny the unusual importance and the strange relevance of obvious ethnic and subtle religious markers and their effects on stability of the law enforcement and national security.

It is a naked fact that in recent years the Nigeria prisons and other security agencies now have so much money expended to it for security operation than before, yet problems continue to swell.

The deep roots of ethnicity and the subtle effects of religion appear to be closely linked to intelligence gathering and dissemination both within the prisons and the community at large.

In this regard, some in the prison service may not be able to establish and maintain a credible intelligence as their loyalty first goes to persons/organizations of ethnic affiliation or religious composition and not to the presidency, the prison management or national security partners.

So, no matter how effective or ineffective is the prison chief as long as the weight of intense institution and the load of environmental stress remain heavy on an average warden or officer the intelligence operation that is critical to handle criminal or security challenges is likely to be contaminated.

The prison and other security agencies remain erected along religious and ethnically based governmental positions which could make loyalty to the Constitution or to the nation problematic.

Ethnic politics in the prisons, homage along tribal lines and the uneven distribution of rewards or positions further contribute to the present-day prison dilemma in terms of having neutrally-minded personnel to adequately combat brutality, violence, and other criminality.

The existing and current ethnic and religious map of Nigeria which is no fault of any prison chief is reflected in the internal corners of domestic quarters of the people.
In a society where thousands of employees of the Nigerian Prison are not psychologically screened for personality and emotional domains their religious beliefs in terms of underlying motives make one wonder who is really guarding the prisons. Meanwhile, if the entire air of national security continues to be contaminated and compressed due to ethno-religious toxicity and helplessness, we must find other radical ways for the people to have confidence in the security in regards to their properties and lives.

May be we should allow those States with Sharia laws, to have independent prisons that are far away from the workings of the historical penal system that is still operating largely under the British-left over penal code of 1963.
In the North, we view the Muslims as naturally functioning outside Nigerian-laced secular correctional system so to have the religious extremists in these types of settings is laughable and dangerous.

In the country, Sharia has been established as a main body of civil and criminal law in many Muslim-majority States which is already affecting the functioning of levels of government. As such, Sharia law is deeply part of state-run legal system, therefore what make the prisons different?

As long as we continue to use a secular type prison system for the whole country, the North in particular, trouble will continue to mount in places like Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Gombe and others.

In the South, where the penal system is fully congruent with the peoples English, Christian and legal beliefs, prison problems there are more reflective of reported dehumanizing health , sanitation, and general living related conditions.

The Even if the National Assembly succeed in updating the Nigerian Prison Service in terms of its 1963 Prisons Act, the people must do something now, in regards to psychology of issues raised in this writing, and not allow the nation to further fall into the ditch of total breakdown of law and order.


~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, Jos5930458@aol.com

23 Mar 2013 14:41 Africa/Lagos


Tuberculosis in prisons: A major health problem

GENEVA, 22 March 2013 / PRNewswire Africa / - Tuberculosis, a contagious and potentially fatal disease, is a major health problem in prisons. On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling on prison managers, public health authorities and the international community at large to pay greater attention to the dangers posed by the ongoing development of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in prisons and its spread outside prison walls.

''MDR-TB is spreading at alarming rates around the world," said ICRC medical doctor Raed Abu Rabi. "This deadly disease is particularly virulent in places of detention.''

TB can be more than 100 times more prevalent inside than outside prison walls. This is often due to overcrowding, insufficient ventilation, ignorance of preventive measures and failure to supervise and ensure adherence to treatment. Inadequate medical care not only fails to cure TB patients, but contributes to the emergence of resistant strains that infect patients, other prisoners, and the community at large.

"More and more patients are developing highly resistant strains of TB in prisons. When this happens, TB, a previously curable disease, can become extremely difficult to treat; some patients cannot be cured with existing drug regimens. The association of MDR-TB with HIV/AIDS or hepatitis C further complicates the problem", explained Dr Abu Rabi.

The ICRC has been fighting TB in prisons in the southern Caucasus, Central Asia and Uganda for many years. The ICRC is also currently cooperating with the authorities in Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in an effort to fight the disease. Dealing with TB in prisons remains a concern and must be an integral part of any public health policy aimed at controlling and ultimately eradicating the disease.

SOURCE : International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

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In the Month of the Ashes of Great Souls

I turned my face to the wall, because I did not want anyone to see my tears as I gazed at the front page The Guardian on Saturday. The headline and his portrait stared at me.
Achebe, Big Iroko, Falls.
The last time I saw a great Iroko tree fall was as a child in my village of Umuekuele Aforugiri in Ohuhu of Umuahia North local government area in Abia State and the whole village was thrown into 30 days of mourning with feasting for a fallen tree.
Achebe was mightier than an Iroko tree. He was the awesome Ugo, the great eagle that can soar higher than any other bird in the sky.
The great eagle that dared to fly even in the eclipse of the sun.
The great eagle that flew over the seven seas.
The great eagle has flown away with the immortal spirits of our great ancestors.
I know that the whole of his Ikenga-Ogidi community must be covered in sackcloth with long faces casting long shadows of mourners with grimaces of sorrows.


“No matter the reality, after the initial shock, and a sense of abandonment, we confidently assert that Chinua lives. His works provide their enduring testimony to the domination of the human spirit over the forces of repression, bigotry, and retrogression.”
~ J. P. CLARK and Wole SOYINKA, the Guardian of Saturday March 23, 2013.

Before the passage of the great Achebe at 82, the great Yoruba Christian missionary, Prophet Timothy Obadare passed on in Akure on Thursday March 21, 2013 at 83. While millions of people have been touched by the enchanted words of Achebe in his numerous books, millions of people have been moved by the awesome testimonies and miracles of Obadare, the founder of the popular evangelical mission World Soul Winning Evangelical Ministry (WOSEM) in Nigeria and abroad.

Then I opened the white envelope from our neighbor Mr. Agiande.
I could guess what was inside.
The invitation to the obsequies of his great father, Pa Thompson Abakam Agiande of Bebuabie Village in Obudu, Cross River State. He was 93 years old.
Yes. Pa Agiande was a great man.
The grandfather of beautiful grand daughters and wonderful grandsons including my best friends in Nigeria, Roy, Thompson, Emmanuel and Cynthia who are well bred children of gentleman Mr. Agiande and his God sent wife Mrs. Agiande.
One day when I suddenly passed out it was in their home that I was revived. Even when the first copy of The Prophet Lied arrived from the American publishers, I happily showed it to the Agiandes who have never failed to lift my spirits out of the doldrums of despair and increased the momentum of the wind I needed to fly higher to greater heights of success. So, I thank God for the long life of Pa Agiande, and pray to be blessed like wisely with each passing day as we continue the great journey home with the echoes of the voices of our wise men and women blowing in the winds and in our caravans we tell the unforgettable tales of this month of the ashes of great souls.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka Orikinla Osinachi, prize winning Nigerian writer, most prolific African blogger and author of Children of Heaven, Sleepless Night, Scarlet Tears of London, Bye, Bye Mugabe, In the House of Dogs, Diary of the Memory Keeper, The Prophet Lied, co-author of Naked Beauty and editor of The Language of True Love. He has written many articles, commentaries and news reports published by Technorati, Blogcritics, Huliq, Yahoo Voices, Shvoong, Gather, Huffington Post, Face2Face Africa, Black Film Maker, Nigeria Films and Modern Ghana.










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Majority of American Parents Prefer Stanford Ahead of Harvard

Majority of American Parents Prefer Stanford Ahead of Harvard

Stanford University is the first dream college majority of American parents prefer their children to attend according to the Princeton Review's 2013 "College Hopes & Worries Survey".

The colleges parents most named as their "dream college" for their children were:

1. Stanford University
2. Harvard College
3. Princeton University
4. University of Notre Dame
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Yale University
7. New York University
8. Brown University
9. Columbia University
10. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

The following is the complete report.


21 Mar 2013 11:00 Africa/Lagos

The Princeton Review's 2013 "College Hopes & Worries Survey" Reports On 14,125
Students' & Parents' Top 10 "Dream Colleges" And Application Views
- 69% Report High Stress
- 89% Say Financial Aid "Very Necessary"
- Stanford is #1 "Dream College" Among Students & Parents / #2 is Harvard
NEW YORK, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Some call it "the other March madness." It's nail-biting season now through April as college acceptance / rejection and financial aid letters land in family mailboxes.

According to The Princeton Review's 2013 "College Hopes & Worries Survey" – an annual poll of college applicants and parents of applicants – stress levels are high and worries about college costs are higher than ever. Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents this year say financial aid will be "very" necessary to pay for college and within that cohort 66% say "extremely" necessary (a 5% increase over 2012). Nonetheless, 100% of the respondents believe college will be "worth it" and 51% see a "potentially better job / higher income" as the main benefit of the diploma.
The college applicants and parents most named as their "dream college" – the school they wish they (or their child) could attend were cost and acceptance not issues – was Stanford. Harvard was the 2nd most named.

The Princeton Review, one of the nation's best known education services companies, has conducted its "College Hopes & Worries Survey" since 2003. Findings for the 2013 survey are based on responses from 14,125 people. Seventy percent (9,955) were teens applying to colleges: 30% (4,170) were parents of applicants. Respondents hailed from all 50 states and DC, plus several countries abroad. The 15-question survey ran in The Princeton Review book, The Best 377 Colleges: 2013 Edition (Random House, August 2012), and it was accessible on www.PrincetonReview.com from September 2012 through March 5.

Top 10 "Dream Colleges"
Answering the survey's only fill-in-the-blank question, "What 'dream college' do you wish you or your child could attend if acceptance or cost weren't issues?" respondents wrote in more than 500 institution names.

The colleges students most named as their "dream college" were:
1. Stanford University
2. Harvard College
3. Columbia University
4. New York University
5. Princeton University
6. University of California – Los Angeles
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Yale University
9. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
10. University of California – Berkeley

The colleges parents most named as their "dream college" for their children were:
11. Stanford University
12. Harvard College
13. Princeton University
14. University of Notre Dame
15. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
16. Yale University
17. New York University
18. Brown University
19. Columbia University
20. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

In students' and parents' responses to questions with multiple answer choices, findings show these perspectives among respondents overall:

• Applications are stressful.
97% reported having college application stress: 69% gauged their stress levels as "High" or "Very High."

• Biggest worry? Debt.
39%, the plurality, said their biggest worry is "Level of debt incurred to pay for the degree." Previously (2010 to 2012), the answer most selected was "Will get into first-choice college, but won't have sufficient funds/aid to attend." In 2009, it was "Won't get into first-choice college."

• College cost estimate? $50,000+
87% estimated their degree to cost "More than $50,000." Within that cohort 45% said "More than $100,000."

• Main benefit of college? Better job.
51% said "Potentially better job / income." 24% said "Education." 25% said "Exposure to new ideas."

• Distance from home "ideal" college would be? Parents and students differ.
52% of parents chose "Less than 250 miles": 61% of students chose answers in ranges from 250 to 1,000 miles.

Other survey findings report on: number of colleges respondents were applying to, the toughest part of their application experiences, if the economy was affecting their school choices (and how). The Princeton Review also asked respondents their advice for 2014 applicants and parents. The most repeated exhortation among parents and students alike: "Start early." One parent wrote, "College is not a prize to be won but a match to be made." A teen wrote, "Enjoy applying to colleges. You (hopefully) only get to do it once."

A survey report (all questions, answer choices, and findings) plus a sampler of respondents' advice is at www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.aspx
The Princeton Review is also known for its annual college rankings in 62 categories (www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx) it reports in August in its book, The Best 377 Colleges, and its many other categories of school rankings and lists accessible at www.princetonreview.com

The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University and it is not a magazine.

About The Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services.
WEBSITE: www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.aspx
SOURCE Random House / Princeton Review Books

CONTACT: Jeanne Krier, Publicist, Princeton Review Books, jeanne@jeannekrier.com, 212-539-1350 or Kristen O'Toole, Editor, The Princeton Review, 888-865-7737 ext. 1405, kotoole@review.com
Web Site: http://www.princetonreview.com

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Will There Ever Be Another Chinua Achebe? No. I Don't Think So

Chinua Achebe (16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013).

When I was a boy growing up in Nigeria, becoming a novelist was a far-away dream.

~ Chinua Achebe as the recipient of the 2010 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, when he was the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor and professor of Africana studies at Brown University, USA.

I thought today would be one of my happiest days.
I was well dressed in my favourite blue shirt and cream trousers and black shoes. And I thanked God its Friday.
I had an appointment to interview Greek Nigerian singer Jojo Stavro at D'Stage on Modupe Johnson Crescent in Surulere, Lagos.
I had to see my one and only first lady before entering the car.
She knew where I was going to.
"What should I get you?" I asked her.
"Anything you want to," she replied.
She hardly asked me for anything, because she knew I would always get her what she loved.
Even the gold necklace to be customized for her is coming without her asking for it.
She had a headache yesterday and I told her to get rid of all negative thoughts.
But I could not keep the shocking news from her.
"They said Chinua Achebe is dead," I told her slowly and not aloud.
She was speechless for a moment.
"But I will not report it until the news is confirmed," I said.
She sighed.
I love her so much that I don't want anything to upset her.
The report of the death of a loved one leaves a sour taste in the mouth and sudden cold with fever may grip you.
We all loved Achebe.
She loves books and I always give her special gifts of books and she loves my books too and even has a copy of one of my books that no one else has in Nigeria.
The book is not yet distributed in Nigeria.
I wanted her to be happy.
But how can we be happy today when the bad news of the passing of one of the greatest men of books is making headlines and making us sad?
She was sober.

I left still thinking of her and reflecting on the awesome literary life of Chinua Achebe.
How would Wole Soyinka take it?
Soyinka the first black Nobel Prize winner in literature loved and respected Achebe and both of them are regarded as the pillars of the phenomenal greatness of Nigerian literature in Africa and the rest of the world. They have inspired millions of us.
Chinua Achebe’s all time classic Things Fall Apart has been a must read for decades since the publication in 1958. The novel has sold 11 million copies so far and translated into more than 50 languages. And the other books following have established him as a literary genius and icon of modern literature winning many highly coveted prizes and academic honours that made him one of the most decorated writers in history.

As I sit in my office to write this short tribute, my youngest best friend Janet is knocking at the door as she returns from nursery school accompanied by her mother who is pregnant with another baby who will be two years younger than Janet who celebrated her second birthday in January. Janet cannot pass by my office without saying hello and she has been doing so for over a year. Her parents and neighbors are awed by our remarkable friendship which began when she was not yet a year old.
I open the door and let her in as she greets cheerfully and then passes through the backdoor of the office to rejoin her mother in the verandah leading to their flat at the back of the block. Then I return to continue writing my tribute.
All adults were once as little Janet, innocent and free and totally oblivious of growing old and then passing away one day.
We are all innocent of our existence on earth. None of us asked to be born.
At times like this, I reflect on life from the womb to the tomb and the thoughts of losing beautiful and wonderful people leave me dumb and numb.
I want to celebrate life and live life in love, peace and unity and not in fear and sorrow of an uncertain tomorrow.

So, as we mourn the greatest patriarch of Nigerian literature Chinua Achebe, let us celebrate the illustrious life of his wonderful prose, poetry and drama of the romance of human existence in a mysterious world.

I know that there will never be another Chinua Achebe, but I trust God to comfort the bereaved families, friends, relations, associates, well wishers and the rest of us and give us more grace to appreciate the geniuses still living and walking among us. They many not shine as bright as Achebe and his peers, but they are still shining stars illuminating our world in their own special ways.

Achebe has played his great role on the stage of life, let us not forget to play our own roles even with more challenges and do greater exploits that will make the world remember Achebe as our great inspiration for the manifestation of the kindred spirits of a new generation that will lead our beloved nation to rock and rule the world.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka Orikinla Osinachi, prize winning Nigerian writer, most prolific African blogger and author of Children of Heaven, Sleepless Night, Scarlet Tears of London, Bye, Bye Mugabe, In the House of Dogs, Diary of the Memory Keeper, The Prophet Lied, co-author of Naked Beauty and editor of The Language of True Love. He has written many articles, commentaries and news reports published by Technorati, Blogcritics, Huliq, Yahoo Voices, Shvoong, Gather, Huffington Post, Face2Face Africa, Black Film Maker, Nigeria Films and Modern Ghana.

Chinua Achebe







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Chinua Achebe: 16 November 1930 – 22 March 2013

Chinua Achebe (born Albert Chínụ̀álụmọ̀gụ̀ Àchèbé, 16 November 1930 – 22 March 2013). Tweet

Prophet Obadare Passes On

The news of the transition of famous Yoruba Christian missionary, Prophet Timothy Obadare is making headlines on the internet, radio, TV and on the front pages of Nigerian newspapers. Prophet Obadare, the founder of the popular evangelical mission World Soul Winning Evangelical Ministry (WOSEM) passed on at a private hospital after a protracted illness in Akure on Thursday March 21, 2013. He was 85.

See the full report on the website of The Punch.

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The Search is On for Mo’s Co-Host on Moments With Mo

The Search is On for Mo’s Co-Host on Moments With Mo



TINAPA, CALABAR (DECEMBER 17, 2012) The search is now on for a co-Host on the internationally acclaimed TV talk show, Moments with Mo. Moments with Mo, Africa’s first and only syndicated daily talk show is shopping for a young, charming, brilliant, exciting and dynamic person to co-Host the long-running, but now even more rejuvenated show, alongside its pioneering Host, Mo Abudu.

The talk show, which has become a household name for featuring the widest and most interesting array of guests, from Presidents, Governors and Celebrities, to unsung everyday people who are doing extraordinary things, will in the coming months, wear a refreshingly different look as it is going to constantly feature a zesty co-Host alongside the good old, vintage appearance of the inspirational Mo.

Sandra Amadio, Associate Director Programmes, Magazine & Talk – EbonyLife TV, had this to say about the new Moments with Mo. “This is a great chance for hot, fresh and brilliant young people who have been dreaming of being on the hot seat to interview top celebrities. It’s the chance to be in the spotlight alongside Mo to present top celebrities and happening people to a pan African audience, from the younger person’s perspective”.
Apart from the more youthful twist being introduced into the show, the entire look and feel of the set is also going to change from show to show. The set design will constantly be innovative, invigorating and refreshing, while underlining the quintessential global black disposition of the EbonyLife TV network.

According to Amadio, “the Show is getting jazzed up with a whole new look and feel and a new co-Host. It’s a whole new Show. You can look forward to seeing Mo Abudu co-Host the show with some of Nigeria’s young top talents. The show will continue to feature interesting, thought provoking and engaging topics that are relevant to a pan African and global audience”.

Talking further about the ambience of the talk Show, Amadio said, “There’s also a unique concept based on an interchangeable look and feel to the set, inspired by one of Nigeria’s biggest talk show hosts”.

The new Moments with Mo is one of the enthralling programmes in a compelling bouquet billed for launch on the eagerly anticipated EbonyLife TV channel in April 2013. EbonyLife TV will sit exclusively on the DStv platform through which it will immediately be transmitting to and watched in over 46 African Countries and by over 8 million viewers. EbonyLife TV’s Roll Out distribution strategy also includes Sky TV in the UK, DISH in the United States, Brazil, Canada and other parts of Europe.

EbonyLife TV is Africa’s first multi-broadcast media and entertainment network set to produce over 700 unprecedented hours of premium and original content made in Africa for a global audience and designed to reach its target demography through unique media platforms which include TV, Web, Mobile, Apps and Live.

The new Moments with Mo is therefore intended to appeal to a younger audience demography and will continue to produce a rich and diverse range of topics, including lifestyle, health, music, art, culture, politics and tradition, with a great deal of dynamism.

To get an opportunity to audition for the role of co-Host on the show, interested young persons are to visit http://www.xciteafrican.com/co-host/ for details.

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Welcome To the 2013 I-Represent Documentary Film Festival from March 21-24

INVITATION TO THE iREP DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 2013

On behalf of directors of the i-REPRESENT Documentary Film Forum, I wish to invite you to the 2013 I-REPRESENT INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (aka iREP Docu Film Feast), which will hold MARCH 21-24, at the FREEDOM PARK, 1 Hospital Road, by Broad Street, Lagos.



The generic theme for the iREP 2013 -- as is the tradition for every edition -- is AFRICA IN SELF-CONVERSATION but the theme for the 2013 edition is RECONNECTIONS (please see explanation below).

Over 30 popular and award winning documentaries sourced from notable and new filmmakers around Africa and its Diaspora, Europe and the USA, will be screened during the festival. The films all essentially treat themes that concern developments and realities around Africa and its peoples. Specifically, the films deal with issues of spirituality, religion, politics, culture, conflict, gender discrimination and affirmations, among others.

Specifically, we wish to invite you to the OPENING CEREMONY of the festival, which holds at 10am on THURSDAY, MARCH 21 at the Kongi Harvest Art Gallery, Fredom Park, Lagos. Aside attendance by dignitaries in the Nigerian film circuit including you and our guest filmmakers from five other countries, there will be a reflection on the state of African films in the global cinema circuit as would be encapsulated in the keynote address by one of us, Prof Awam Amkpa, a filmmaker and teacher of Africana studies at New York University. There will be the formal presentation of three books published by the Nigeria Film Corporation on the story of, and developments in the Nigeria film Industry in which you have been a key participant. There will also be the presentation of awards to deserving individuals who have served the local industry diligently.

Also, we would be glad if you would join us at the COCKTAIL event designed to provide a platform for networking and camaraderie between the Nigerian filmmakers and their counterparts from abroad, who will be participating in the festival. It will hold at 5pm in the Terrace of the Kongi’s Harvest Art Gallery.

With pleasure, we also invite you to the FILMMAKERS NETWORKING, an interactive session designed as an informal business session at which the various professional and technical issues affecting the Film industry would be reflected upon. Essentially issues of funding, especially co-production and funding opportunities that abound for the Nigerian film industry, would feature prominently. For this purpose we have invited experts who function in the film funding and distribution circuits in Europe and the USA as guests of the festival. We would be glad if you could take advantage of this session, which is partly facilitated by the Goethe Institut through its invitation of the Berlin-based Association of German Film Producers, AG DOK and those of the DOK FEST in Munich. We also have guests from France and the USA. It will hold on SATURDAY, MARCH 23, starting from 11am.

You could also attend our various Workshop sessions on Production and Distribution which would hold on Thursday March 21, and Friday, March 22 at the same Freedom Park, Lagos.

There is also the screening of award winning documentaries in the day time and at night at the festival venues. I encourage you to see as many of the films as possible, as many of them are being shown on the continent for the first time.
Details of other special events are also spotlighted below, and are available at www.irepfilmfestival.com.

FILM SCREENINGS
On the line-up for screening in the course of the festival are United States of Hoodoo by Oliver Hardt, which has been selected as the Opening Film for the festival on Thursday, March 21. Others include Orisha by notable Nigerian filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan; Ifa of the Yoruba People by the renowned filmmaker, Tunde Kelani; Urban Prayers by Sabrina Dittrus, Crackles of Our Times by Sibylle Dahrendorf; Oranian by Tobias Lindern; Fatai Roling Dollars: A Legend Unplugged by Femi Odugbemi. In addition all the 10 finalists in the Afrinolly Shortfilm Competion will be screened in a special section of the festival.



iREP International Documentary Film Festival, which in its three years has become the preeminent documentary film festival on the continent, will also play host to about 15 international filmmakers, especially from Germany, Southern Africa, USA and others.
Special Guests to the Festival include the actor, director, filmmaker and scholar of Africana Studies, Professor Awam Amkpa of the New York University, USA, who is a specialist on Africa and its Diasporas; and post coloniality. He is also the co-founder and executive director of the Real Life Documentary Film Festival, Accra, Ghana. He will deliver the keynote of the festival on theme; Reconnections: Africa’s Post-colonial Journey to Identity. He will speak on DAY 1 of the festival, March 21 at 10am.

The Festival's selection of film will be co-curated by the Festival Director, Femi Odugbemi and Professor Niyi Coker, the documentary filmmaker, and executive director of the Africa World Documentary Film Festival, AWDFF. Prof. Coker, the E. Desmond Lee Distinguished Professor at the UniversitY of Missouri, St. Louis, USA, who has done extensive research on, and networking between Africa, America and the Caribbean through his AWDFF, will also make presentation on Documentary Films and The Africa Disapora. He will speak on DAY 2 of the festival, MARCH 22 at 11am.

Professor Femi Okiremuette Shaka, will speak on Documentary Film and African Spirituality and Politics. He studied at the universities of Benin and lbadan, respectively in Nigeria, and took his doctorate degree in Film Studies at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, in 1994. In 2001, he was a Visiting Senior African Fulbright Fellow at Africana Studies Program, New York University. He was appointed a Professor of Film Studies by the University of Port Harcourt in 2009. He is the author of "Modernity and the African Cinema," published by Africa World Press, Trenton, NJ, USA, in 2004. He will speak on the DAY 3 of the festival, MARCH 23 at 11am.

The Festival will also feature various Workshops, Training Sessions and Masterclasses to be handled by experts from Europe, the US, South Africa and Nigeria. Among the Facilitators of the various workshops and training sessions aside from the Special guests are:


OLIVER HARDT, a freelance director, writer and filmmaker: After studying Applied Theatre Studies with a focus on directing and dramaturgy, he began his career in the early 90s as a theater director at the Theater am Turm Frankfurt, then leading the European avant-garde theater. In the context of his productions originated his first video works. His images and documentaries have won numerous international awards, including the Hessian Film Award for "winter spell - work for Eisler", the European Public Relations Award for "designs - Communicating German Design" as well as multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze at the New York Festivals . His documentary credits include The United States of Hoodoo; and Black Deutschland.

Tunji Akinshewa has been lecturing in cinematography at Leeds Metropolitan University for nine years, and also did three years teaching on the MA Film production course at the University of Salford. He has won several awards including Best Cinematography at The International Black Film Festival for "Laters" in 2004. Tunji’s passion is Africa; consequently he has filmed documentaries in Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Senegal and Ghana.

PARTNERSHIP
There are also guests from our partner organisations Ag-DOK, the association of film producers of Germany, and the DOK Fest, organisers of the Document Film Festival in Munich, Germany, Documentary Network of Africa, DNA, and the African World Documentary film Festival, AWDFF. Experts from this organisations would feature prominently in teh various workshops, presentations and networking sessions in teh course of the festival.

EXPLANATORY NOTE ON THE THEME OF THE FESTIVAL
“I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me” –Kwame Nkrumah.

In its years of existence, Africa has worn many faces and has assumed many identities most of them imposed by outsiders looking in. What then is the true definition of an African; what parameters can be used to define the African? Is it our values, cultures or our religion?

How do Africans at home and in the Diaspora see or think about themselves and their identity? What impact does western education, religious and economic value systems have on African socio-cultural life -- for instance creating in the African a conflict of identity?

The discourse of the African identity requires more than mere rhetoric of race and space. It is a world that is alive in every African, at the most misunderstood and abandoned, yet, it is undeniably present. It defies the common, and reaches into the heart of the essential nature of the black man in every detail of its being.
It is in the understanding of this core force in every African that will ensure the future of Africa is nourished.

The scope of the Festival would cover such areas as the need for rediscovery – spiritually, morally, socially, politically and economically – a reconnection with our true identity and values, and the potential of this resulting awareness to be used as a tool for reshaping the African nation.

ABOUT iREP FESTIVAL
I-Represent International Documentary Film Festival is an annual festival dedicated to promoting awareness about the power of documentary films to serve as a means of deepening and sharing social and cultural education as well as encouraging participatory democracy in our societies. The maiden edition held in January 2011, in Lagos, brought together a pool of veteran filmmakers, film scholars, critics, Arts enthusiasts, and students from different parts of the world.
We believe strongly that the 2013 Festival would provide completely invaluable opportunities for all participants to discuss cogent issues that are germane to the future of filmmaking in Africa, and indeed, the World. Activities at the conference have been carefully designed to cover a wide spectrum of knowledge areas and interest, and would include Paper presentations, Training and Workshops, Interactive panel discussions, film screenings, and Networking.

THANK YOU.

More information at www.irepfilmfestival.com

Femi Odugbemi,
Executive Director
For IREP DOCUMENTARY FILM FORUM

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IMAX® And Disney Pact On New IMAX® 3D Space Film

Toni Myers with Space Station 3D film making team astronauts from her last IMAX film Hubble 3D. Director/producer Toni Myers eats, breathes and sleeps in IMAX. The veteran filmmaker has been working with the format since its inception in 1965.

20 Mar 2013 13:30 Africa/Lagos

IMAX® And Disney Pact On New IMAX® 3D Space Film

LOS ANGELES, March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced an agreement to produce and distribute the latest IMAX® 3D cinematic space spectacle from acclaimed filmmaker Toni Myers, who has been crafting mind-blowing movie experiences for IMAX audiences for more than 40 years.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111107/MM01969LOGO)

This marks the first time IMAX and The Walt Disney Studios are jointly producing a film together. The companies have previously collaborated on the distribution of numerous films from the groundbreaking release of Fantasia 2000 to the recent successful opening of Oz The Great and Powerful.

Myers' upcoming 3D film, which is still untitled, will use IMAX's extremely high-resolution photography and videography to offer breathtaking, illuminating views of our home planet from space, exploring the astonishing changes that have occurred on Earth in just the past several decades.

Made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the film will explore mankind's future on – and off – the planet, increasing our understanding of the solar system, while also traveling light-years to other star systems to ponder the possibilities of "Goldilocks," an Earth-like planet. The film is expected to be released in 2015.

"Disney has always been a leader in creating immersive fantasy worlds for audiences, but we know there's no more immersive world than the real one," said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. "This is a bird's eye view of our incredible universe and our future in it, and we're looking forward to diving in with the perfect collaborators, Toni Myers and IMAX."

"We're thrilled to collaborate on our first joint production with Disney," said Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Entertainment. "Toni Myers and her team have given us films that have been educating, delighting and astonishing IMAX audiences for many years, and we look forward to continuing the journey with this latest spectacle."

Myers has been editing, writing, producing and directing films specifically tailored for The IMAX Experience® since 1971. Her most recent documentary feature film, 2010's acclaimed Hubble 3D, has grossed nearly $53 million in IMAX® theaters to date.

"The 1990 IMAX film Blue Planet was the first time we pointed the IMAX® cameras from space back to Earth to reveal, on a grand scale, the changes being made to our planet by both natural and human forces," Myers said. "It's marvelous and important to have this new opportunity to show what has happened to our planet since then. The International Space Station is a unique and perfect platform from which to see how our home is evolving, and at the same time explore our exciting future in other worlds."

About The Walt Disney Studios
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel; and Touchstone Pictures, which includes the distribution of live action films from DreamWorks Studios. Through the Home Entertainment division, innovative distribution methods provide access to creative content across multiple platforms. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE!. For more information, please visit www.waltdisneystudios.com

About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of Dec. 31, 2012, there were 731 IMAX theatres (598 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 114 institutions) in 53 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).

This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

For additional information please contact:

Media:

IMAX Corporation , New York

Ann Sommerlath

212-821-0155

asommerlath@imax.com


Entertainment Media:

Principal Communications Group , Los Angeles

Melissa Zukerman/Paul Pflug

323-658-1555

melissa@pcommgroup.com

paul@pcommgroup.com


Investors:

IMAX Corporation – New York

Teri Loxam

212-821-0110

tloxam@imax.com


Business Media:

Sloane & Company – New York

Whit Clay

212-446-1864

wclay@sloanepr.com


SOURCE IMAX Corporation

Web Site: http://www.imax.com

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