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VICTOR AKANDE
E-mail: victor_akande@yahoo.com Tel: 07029013958 (SMS only)
THE NATION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012
THINK
SNAPSHOTS
nt part of An importa s of any the succes is its civilisation late the mu ability to e t led to the a factors th f other success o s.—Eric civilisation rt Reine
A pleasure trip around Channel O
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OUTH Africa-based music video hub, Channel O, released the ninth track of an ongoing album penultimate Saturday. You may want to ask if the song, at first hearing, got the anxious crowd dancing. Yes it did. It was an all-African tune with the dominating tone coming from Nigeria's potpourri of Afro-centric hip hop and RnB. Thanks to Dbanj's “Oliver Twist”, P-Square's "Chop My Money"; Brymo's “Ara”; Davido's “Dami duro”; Ice Prince's “Superstar”; Flavour's “Oyi” and South Africa's sensation, Zahara, with her breaking through single, “Loliwe” among others. It was the popular annual Channel O Music Video Awards. And this year, the showstopper got Soweto, Nelson Mandela's notable base, bubbling with enviable convergence of music buffs from Africa and beyond. Venue for the event, which was broadcast by DStv and DStv Mobile was the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown. Nigeria continued its dominance on the Africa music scene, as Nigerian superstar, Ice Prince of Chocolate City joined South Africa's 'home girl' Bonang in hosting the show. The supremacy continued with 70 percent of the laurels coming to Nigeria; top of them all was D'Banj's new hit video, “Oliver Twist” carting away the Best Video of the Year and earning the former Mo'hit co-honcho Most Gifted Male Video of the Year. It would be recalled that although the video is the first to have emerged from D'Banj's deal with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, the Koko Master, as he is fondly called got the 2011 Special Recognition awards at the Channel O. And as I was made to understand later aboard an SAA flight to Lagos, it was God that sealed the fate of Oliver Twist rather than his new deal with Kanye. But the story of the 2012 edition of Channel O Awards wouldn't be complete for me if I do not talk about the surround
A lavish lunch at Kream Restaurant only set the mood for the Channel O Awards that did Nigeria proud later that night. This was the first phase of the SATsponsored trip with much more for the diary of a reporter on holiday
A cableway experience and canopy tours and its offer of panoramic views of the beautiful Magaliesberg, Hartbeespoort Dam and surrounding areas only reminds one of the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State and the thoughts of how best that facility and others like it can be made functional and profitable hospitality provided by the South Africa Tourism (SAT) before, during and after the show. It was altogether a six-day of supposed leisure outside of Nigeria. TOPCOMM, the SAT Public Relations agency in Nigeria, run by former journalist, Tope Ogbeniawe, had said to me that since I was on vacation this time, the Channel O experience may just add up to my leisure. I thought so too, except that it ended up being six days of 'laborious ecstasy'. How else do you describe a treatment to three course meal, whereby you had hardly got over breakfast before lunch comes knocking? How do you explain to the beautiful and courteous SAT ladies who come to take you out for dinner and to a dance after that you are tired? Trained for the job, their desire was to make you visit all the top restaurants, leisure spots, recreational centres and historical attractions that make South Africa a tourist's destination. That trip, like others in the past, brought Africa together. The Nigerian contingent, which included Yaw of Wazobia FM, Freeze of Cool FM, Musa Jibril of Entertainment Express, Kola Oshalusi of Bella Naija, Mohammed Abdullahi of TOPCOMM and I, shared the great moments with Radio Deejays, journalists, and winners of Channel O raffle from South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Kenya. Legend Tours, the appointed SAT tour operators sprang to action with Snowy, a middle-age woman running commentaries on sightseeing during that early morning drive from the O.R Tambo Airport to Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton, a stunning region of South Africa. The fivestar hotel provides convenient access to the best local
attractions, such as Nelson Mandela Square and Sandton City Shopping Mall, Golf courses, Jo-burg Theatre, etcetera. I was still living with jet lag when lunch at the Trumps Restaurant came calling. There was a little time afterwards to walk into the City Mall that afternoon, at least for a window shopping. Imagine a place where the likes of Jenni Button and Louis Vuitton, Carrol Boyes and Apple showcase their very best ranges; a place where you can sip on the world's finest coffee or enjoy a French croissant or a slice of local Milk Tart all under one roof. If you can imagine it, then you've pictured Sandton City, one of Africa's leading and most prestigious shopping centres, located within walking distance of the Sandton Gautrain station. Away from this fashion and leisure destination, the first day dinner at Pigalle Restaurant amidst a pleasurable nightlife experience drew the curtain on the first scene of luxury that was to continue each passing day. A cableway experience and canopy tours and its offer of panoramic views of the beautiful Magaliesberg, Hartbeespoort Dam and surrounding areas only reminds one of the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State and the thoughts of how best that facility and others like it can be made functional and profitable. Such was the exciting cable car trip on the longest monocableway in Africa and an incredible 360° view of one of the most gorgeous areas in South Africa. A lavish lunch at Kream Restaurant only set the mood for the Channel O Awards that did Nigeria proud later that night. This was the first phase of the SAT-sponsored trip with much more for the diary of a reporter on holiday. •To be continued…
Mosun Filani welcomes baby girl
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IGHT-SKINNED actress, Mosunmola Filani-Oduoye, who tied the knot sometime early, has been delivered of a baby girl. The pretty Tai Solarin University graduate delivered the baby a few days ago at the St.Ives Hospital in Ikeja. It will be recalled that the
popular Yoruba Nollywood actress's marriage made several headlines when she tied the knot with her a Lagos-based businessman. For those who have been missing her on screen lately, the days of 'waiting' is not yet over as they may have to endure the wait for a few months to come.
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different from the one I have. “For the avoidance of doubt, on the fake account managed by the faceless elements, my photographs are interchanged almost on daily basis while my genuine facebook account has the bromide of one my films called Aina Orosun. The intention of the mastermind of the account is not only dubious but evil as they have been posting all kinds of unreasonable jokes on the site to deceive people. Therefore, I want to advise my fans to discountenance the site,” he added. Meanwhile, Sanyeri's latest work Okola Lamerika which was shot in United States of America (USA) during his recent working trip is due for premiere on Sunday December 9, 2012. The event will hold at the Anchor Events Centre, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Yoruba comic, Sanyeri cries out over fake Facebook account
ORUBA comic, Olaniyi Afonja popularly called Sanyeri, has called on his numerous fans to discountenance a facebook account opened in his name by unidentified persons. In a statement, Sanyeri described those behind the facebook account as dubious and evil. “It has come to my notice that some unscrupulous elements have been using my name to deceive and mislead my fans and members of the public by creating a facebook account
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•Sanyeri