THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The crème de la crème of the Nigerian film industry, popularly called Nollywood, will gather in the southwestern German city of Ludwigshafen on Saturday, 3 December. The reason for the gathering is the “Queen of Nollywood” Awards ceremony, which is being held outside of Nigeria for the first time this year.
Among those to be honoured at the event are actors, directors, producers, diplomats, businesspeople and politicians – persons who have in one way or the other contributed to the phenomenal growth of Nollywood, which is the second biggest film industry after India’s Bollywood, over the years.
About 100 actresses active from 2006-2016 have been nominated for the 28 awards up for grabs in 5 categories of Queen of Nollywood Awards 2016. Among those nominated and expected to attend the event are Omoni Oboli, Jackie Appiah, Ngozi Ezeonu, Monalisa Chinda, Yvonne Nelson, Mercy Aigbe, Patience Ozokwor, Oge Okoye, Moyinoluwa Olutayo, Grace Ama, Rachael Oniga, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Nnenna Ani, Tonto Dikeh, Rita Dominic, Hellen Paul, Queen Nwokoye, Shan George, Sola Sobowale, Yvonne Okoro and Bukky Wright. The presence of these and other heavy weights of Nollywood will make Ludwigshafen the biggest ever gathering of Nigerian actors in Europe.
One of the 28 winners, representing the Diaspora, will be crowned ‘Queen of Nollywood International’. She is expected to fly to Nigeria by the first quarter of 2017 to play a lead role in a high profile Nollywood glamour movie, featuring top actors and actresses. The film will be premiered next year.
Moreover, twenty persons, including Femi Awoniyi, publisher of The African Courier magazine, Ambassador John Ejinnaka, Consul General of Nigeria in Frankfurt and other personalities from the worlds of government, business and public service, will be honoured in the Leadership and Excellence categories.
Organised by Urbanmingles Magazine Africa, the event debuted in Lagos in 2003 and resulted from a research project, titled Who’s Who in the Nigeria Entertainment Industry. The Queen of Nollywood Awards are committed to increasing representation of African women in front of the camera in film, television and in traditional and new media.
According to the organizers, Queen of Nollywood Awards aim to strengthen the influence of African women in motion pictures and to ensure that the diverse experiences of their everyday lives are reflected on screen. The event is dedicated to promoting opportunities for young African women, thereby encouraging creative projects, expanding and enhancing portrayals of Black women in all forms of global media advocacy and legacy projects.
Organisers hope the show will also showcase the richness of Nigerian film to an audience of African film enthusiasts, fans and filmmakers in Europe.
Vivian Asamoah
Contact to Organisers:
Interested contestants for Queen of Nollywood International should immediately contact:
Teddy Oscar, Shamar Konsult, +491726262526
Attendance Information:
Date: 3 December 2016
Time: 7 pm
Venue: Tsg. 1881 Friesenhein Eschenbachstrasse 85, 67063, Ludwigshafen, Germany
Contact Hotline: +49 1726-262526, +49 1521-4369866
