Saturday, July 3, 2021

Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood Prefer Fair and Light Skinned Actresses

Hollywood Actresses.

If you have been bingewatching Nollywood movies, you would have seen that majority of the Actresses are competing to look like the actresses in Bollywood and Hollywood in makeup, hairstyles and haute couture on the red carpets. They want to be fair and light skinned and with wavy long hairs. They are the most influential models who have made a "staggering 77% of women in Nigeria to use skin-lightening products. The skincare and cosmetics industry is taking advantage of their craze for lighter skin according to a report by the United Nations published on https//www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/paying-high-price-skin-bleaching


Many of the young women in Nollywood and the Nigerian society want to look as fair and pretty as the celebrated Nollywood actresses like Monalisa Chinda, Tonto Dikeh and Mercy Aigbe. And so they bleach the skin to boost their self-esteem and egos among their peers. 

The actors (both male and female) say there is a rule of thumb preference for fair and light skinned people in the entertainment industry for decades in Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood.

The controversial #OscarsSoWhite campaign years ago on the predominantly white nominees with the exclusion of filmmakers of colour made the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to come up with programs and rules to favour diversity in the film industry and campaign against racism. But colorism is in fact worse than racism, because "Colorism is the practice of favoring lighter skin over darker skin by people of the same race and tribe. The preference for lighter skin can be seen within any racial or ethnic background. Such as preference for  Asians and Africans of fair and light complexion in the film industry. You can see the preference in over 90 percent of the movies, TV series and music videos. 

Colourism is encouraging skin bleaching and the popularity of skin lightening creams, lotions and pills which the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning about the harmful side effects of dangerous consequences, including dermatitis (skin irritation), blue-black discolouration, skin cancer and even blindness.


- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series.

Fair and White So White Skin Perfector Serum 30ml - For Face, Elbows Knees, Feet - with Kojic Acid and Castor Oil

#fairandwhite

#beauty


Fair and White So White Skin Perfector Serum 30ml - For Face, Elbows Knees, Feet - with Kojic Acid and Castor Oil

A complete range of Lightening and Brightening Skin care products for modern young women of all complexions. 

There is No Scarcity of Content

"There is no scarcity of content.

But there is scarcity of content of premium quality."

- EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima.

Thousands of movies, series, documentaries, music videos and shows are produced every day. And majority are offered free to view online and offline. But millions of people are still willing to pay for the subscriptions to watch the best content for their entertainment 24/7.

What is the secret of the success of ABC, Disney, HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other top content producers and distributors in the world?

UNiQUE CONTENT!

We are always anxious and curious to see what is unique and exciting.

Excitement is the joy of Entertainment.

Any content that does not excite us cannot attract us.


- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLLYWOOD MIRROR® So,

247 Nigeria,

Nigerians Report Online,

TALK OF THE TOWN By Orikinla

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Cat Arrested for Terrorism By Nigerian Soldiers

Nigerian Soldiers, Secret Police 'Arrested' Cat They Believed Sunday Igboho Turned To During Invasion Of His House —Eyewitnesses

Some of those working with Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, have narrated how gunmen in military uniform allegedly attacked the residence of the Yoruba rights activist.

SaharaReporters had reported how Ighoho’s house in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo state was attacked around 1am on Thursday.

At least 10 vehicles belonging to the self-styled activist, including his G-wagon, Prado SUVs, and valuable properties, furniture, and windows were destroyed.

Bullet holes were also found on the buildings in the compound while bloodstains were seen on the premises by our correspondent.

Speaking to SaharaReporters, an aide to the Ighoho who said he witnessed the incident said the attackers took away jewellery and a huge amount of cash belonging to the Yoruba activist and his family.

“Around 1am, we started hearing gunshots, there was pandemonium everywhere. Then we saw soldiers, they were dressed as if they were going for a battle. Before we knew what was happening, they started targeting places where people sleep in the house.

It was God that saved me and others, they came prepared. Only God knows how they identified Igboho’s room, they went there, took his money and jewellery. Same as that of his wife and other family members.

“They even took away his cat when they didn’t see him. They claimed it might be Ighoho that turned to the cat, so they took it away.

Source

https://www.nairaland.com/6629634/soldiers-arrest-igbohos-cat-because


Wednesday, June 30, 2021

The Power of the Dot in a Circle for Dummies


The Power of the Dot in a Circle for Dummies 

From the street to the Office of the President

When President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR called the Eastern region "Dot in a Circle", most likely intellectually ignorantly did not know the meaning of Dot in a Circle and majority of his people in northern Nigeria who are intellectually challenged ( my euphemism of the intellectually retarded) who are ruled by their herd mentality have been using the statement to mock the Igbos.
But whatever they do or say, the Sun will always Rise in the East and set in the West.
Dot in a Circle is Center of Attraction and the Nucleus of the nation.
The central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

In physics it is:
The positively charged central core of an atom, consisting of protons and neutrons and containing nearly all its mass.

The circled dotcircumpunct, or circle with a point at its centreis an ancient symbol. It can represent:


Solar system

Solar symbol used to represent the Sun

The sun / Gold (Alchemical symbols)

The sun / Ra (Egyptian hieroglyphs)

The sun / a day (Chinese oracle script, the modern character being 日)


Without the Dot in a Circle, Nigeria will be like the solar system without the sun

- EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Ecobank Group Named 2021 African SME Bank of the Year

 PRESS RELEASE

Ecobank Group Named 2021 African SME Bank of the Year

The African SME Bank of the Year award 2021 recognises the bank which has significantly contributed to the development of the SME sector

LOMé, Togo, June 30, 2021/ -- The Pan-African banking group, the Ecobank Group (www.Ecobank.com), is the African Banker’s 2021 African SME Bank of the Year.

Ecobank beat a host of other banks in the African Banker Awards 2021 to take home the SME Award in a 2020 tumultuous year characterised by the Covid-19 pandemic which continues to ravage many African economies, with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) taking the greatest hit.

Among other criteria, the African SME Bank of the Year award 2021 recognises the bank which has significantly contributed to the development of the SME sector, thus helping them to build the economic backbone of the continent. Part of the entry criteria required that the winning bank has significantly catalysed funding into the private sector in Africa and promoted enterprise development by facilitating credit and access to finance for SMEs.

Since the onset of Covid-19, the Ecobank Group has considerably ramped up investments in programmes targeting SMEs by expanding SME-focused lines of credit, providing technical assistance to SME development institutions and building SMEs’ capacity via linkage programmes in partnership with its strategic partners. The Group has been at the forefront of promoting gender inclusion and closing the gender finance gap through innovative initiatives such as ‘Ellevate by Ecobank’ that targets women-led and women-focused businesses across the continent.

Ecobank Group Executive, Commercial Banking, Josephine Ankomah, said “2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. It required resilience and innovation. We needed to rethink our business and provide innovative ways to assist our SME customers to help them to survive the difficulties brought about by the pandemic. We are truly honoured to receive this recognition. Our immense gratitude goes to our staff, customers and partners who have made this possible.”


Some of the measures taken by the Bank to support SMEs in 2020 include:

Proactively instituting mitigating actions, including tenor extensions and moratoriums on interest, to assist SMEs to manage their loan repayments;

Increasing the utilisation of digital channels, such as Ecobank Omni Lite, to provide customers with capabilities to make payments remotely and conveniently;

Upskilling staff to ensure their capacity to help develop the SME sector;

Collaborating with existing risk sharing partners, particularly Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), to share a portion of the risk associated with our lending to the SME sector;

Partnering with tech giant Google to provide SME customers with the means to develop free online presence through the Google My Business platform;

Collaborating with the African Union’s Development Agency - AUDA-NEPAD - to focus on strengthening Africa’s support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and assist their recovery from the impact of the pandemic by empowering MSMEs with access to capabilities, markets and finance, so that they can play a pivotal role in restarting Africa’s economies;

Launch of ‘Ellevate by Ecobank’ which is a women-owned and women-focused product offering women an end-to-end partnership, through which they gain access to both financial and non-financial services such as financial education, product information, networking and recognition; and

Growing the number of merchants using Ecobank’s point-of-sale (POS) terminals from 5,571 to 15,878, in addition to attracting significant onboards onto EcobankPay, our flagship QR collections platform, from 180,060 to 248,664.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ecobank.

Media Contact:

Christiane Bossom

Group Corporate Communication Manager

Email: groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com

Tel: +228 22 21 03 03

About Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’ or ‘The Group’):

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) is the parent company of the Ecobank Group, the leading independent pan-African banking group. The Ecobank Group employs over 14,000 people and serves about 29 million customers in the consumer, commercial and corporate banking sectors across 33 African countries. The Group has a banking license in France and representative offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Johannesburg, South Africa; Beijing, China; London, the UK and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The Group offers a full suite of banking products, services and solutions including bank and deposit accounts, loans, cash management, advisory, trade, securities, wealth and asset management. ETI is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchanges in Lagos, the Ghana Stock Exchange in Accra, and the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières in Abidjan. For further information please visit www.Ecobank.com.

SOURCE

Ecobank


Reel Price Index of Content Globally

Reel Price Index: Participate To Get a Report of the Relative Value of Content Globally

As content goes global, we are all faced with the question of how to value content in territories we are not familiar with.

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Simply participate by sharing your perspective on some examples we suggest to you via this 3-minute survey and receive a detailed report and analysis of relative value of content globally. 

You’ll also stand a chance to win one of 100 Amazon Gift Cards worth US$50!

https://www.reelpriceindex.com/?referredBy=vuulr-email



Social Media Adoption Powers SMBBs in Africa

 


PRESS RELEASE 
Social media adoption helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to power Africa’s economic growth 

SMBs are the vehicle to achieve youth employment, gender parity and intra-regional trade in Africa 

 JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 29, 2021/ -- A study conducted by Genesis Analytics in eight African countries - Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, the DRC, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritius, and Kenya - reveals that social media platforms help accelerate economic growth and opportunity across the continent. 

The African continent is heavily reliant on its small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the economy. As many countries across the continent have embarked on their digital transformation, the research shows that digital platforms can play a key role in the continent's development. 

According to the results of the study conducted by Genesis Analysis, SMBs are the vehicle to achieve youth employment, gender parity and intra-regional trade in Africa. The report shows that surveyed SMBs that use the Facebook apps have younger employees with an average share of 45% of employees under 30. Additionally, SMBs using Facebook apps reported a higher frequency of being owned by women, while SMBs in the manufacturing sector ranked the ability to access new foreign markets as the most beneficial advantage of the apps.

Commenting on the report, Kojo Boakye, Director of Africa Public Policy at Facebook said: “84% of surveyed SMBs reported that Facebook apps have been important for their business growth. This reinforces our commitment to providing the access and skills that help people use Facebook apps to increase employment opportunities, incomes, gender equity, and trade.” 

Ryan Short, Partner at Genesis Analytics added: “The Genesis Analytics study shines a much-needed light on how small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) on the continent are embracing digital tools and platforms. It shows empirically that the use of digdigita tools can drive economic growth by bringing more women into the formal economy; creating economic opportunity for young people; and boosting intra-African trade. We urge policymakers and digital platforms alike to understand these opportunities and to create an optimal environment for SMBs to thrive using digital tools and social media.” 

The report also identified the barriers that policymakers may need to further focus on to increase the adoption and drive significant growth, with expensive internet and data costs and low levels of trust in data privacy being barriers to greater uptake. Resolving these challenges will take close cooperation between governments and private companies to foster a digital environment that can power small businesses to unlock Africa’s rich opportunities. 

Access the full report here (https://bit.ly/2Ucaxy1). 
Download the media kit here (https://bit.ly/361NcBz) [Infographic report and Country one-pagers]. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Facebook. 

Media Contact: 
Idea Engineers 
PR agency for Facebook Africa facebookfr@ideaengineers.co.za 
or pressfrancophoneafrica@fb.com

SOURCE 
Facebook 

Distributed by : APO Group Voie du Chariot 3 1003 Lausanne – Switzerland Tel : +41 21 547 44 44 E-mail: info (at) apo-opa.com www.APO-opa.com

Monday, June 28, 2021

Highest Grossing Movies in Nigeria in June

See the complete box office report on https://ceanigeria.com/box-office

SHOWTIME @ the Movies TOP MOVIE OF THE MONTH

My Village People

A Nollywood comedy that tells relatable African folklore. It follows the tale of a prince, who finds himself in a bizarre love triangle with the marine world and a coven of witches as a result of his reckless lifestyle.

SYNOPSIS

My Village People

The plot

A dark comedy that tells relatable African folklore. It follows the tale of a prince, who finds himself in a bizarre love triangle with the marine world and a coven of witches as a result of his reckless lifestyle.

DIRECTOR Niyi Akinmolayan

STARRING Nkem Owoh, Venita Akpofure, Sophie Alakija, Ada Ameh, Binta Ayo-Mogaji, Zubby Michael, Oyibo Rebel.

RELEASED 11 June, 2021

RUNNING TIME 140 mins

LANGUAGE English

Friday, June 25, 2021

Brown Sugar: The Highest Grossing Film by a Nigerian Filmmaker

 


The Highest Grossing Film by a Nigerian filmmaker is "Brown Sugar" of 2002, an American romantic comedy  written by Michael Elliott and Rick Famuyiwa, directed by Famuyiwa, and starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan.
It grossed US$28, 316, 451.

Famuyiwa is a Nigerian-American director, producer and screenwriter of outstanding films,  including The Wood (1999), Brown Sugar(2002), Talk to Me (2007), Dope (2015), and Confirmation (2016).

 

Monday, June 21, 2021

SHOWTIME'S MOVIE OF THE MONTH: Promising Young Woman



The movie poster won Best Poster of the Year by IMP Awards in 2021.
 


Promising Young Woman is a 2020 black comedy thriller film written, produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell (in her feature directorial debut). The film stars Carey Mulligan as a young woman seeking to avenge the death oft her best friend who was a rape victim. It also features Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton in supporting roles. 

Promising Young Woman had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 25, 2020, by Focus Features. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at its screenplay, direction, and Mulligan's performance, and grossed $15 million worldwide. The film won the Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards, with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mulligan) and Best Film Editing. Fennell also won Best Original Screenplay at the Critics' Choice Awards, Writers' Guild Awards and British Academy Film Awards.