Category: Entertainment

WINDHOEK, 13 FEB (NAMPA) – The late President Hage Geingob was not only renowned for his leadership but also his impeccable sense of style.

His attire, carefully chosen for every occasion, whether domestic or international, left a lasting impression on many, including local fashion designers who admired his fashion sense.

Namibian fashion designer, Melisa Poulton shared her insights on Geingob’s iconic style and the impact it had on the fashion scene in the country, saying: ‘He was a true style icon. His choice of clothing always exuded confidence and sophistication. His preference for tailored suits, often accessorised with vibrant Namibian fabrics such as Oshiwambo-inspired patterns or the bold colours of the Damara/Nama people, became a signature of his style.’

She added that Geingob’s attention to detail, from perfectly coordinated ties to polished shoes, set a high standard for sartorial elegance, saying that he understood the power of clothing as a form of self-expression and representation.

She sai
d that his attire conveyed a sense of pride in Namibian culture while embracing global fashion influences and was a testament to his ability to bridge traditional and contemporary aesthetics.

Poulton stated that if she had been accorded the opportunity to design or style the late president, she would have jumped at the chance since that is what she has strived for her entire career.

Whether attending official State functions or representing Namibia on the international stage, President Geingob’s wardrobe choice was always meticulously curated, reflecting his status and the value of the nation.

‘As Namibia mourns the loss of President Hage Geingob, his legacy lives on not only in his contributions to the country but also in the enduring influence of his distinguished style. Fashion designers and enthusiasts alike will continue to draw inspiration from his timeless elegance and commitment to representing Namibia with grace and dignity on the global stage,’ Poulton noted.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Kwara Government has felicitated 36 brides who were joined to their grooms at the Awon mass wedding festival in Shao, Moro Local Government Area of Kwara.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Awon mass wedding festival is a yearly cultural festival celebrating women of marriageable age who are joined to their spouses in large number simultaneously.

Some participants at the event

Speaking at the occasion in Shao on Friday, Bolanle Olukoju, the state Commissioner for Communications, who represented the Kwara Government, expressed delight at the gathering.

“Today is a great occasion and we give glory to the Almighty God as we gather to celebrate the annual Awon mass wedding in Shao.

“This event, which brings together the community’s sons and daughters, has gained widespread recognition, attracting people from all corners of the state and country.

” It serves as a testament to the diverse and vibrant cultural heritage of Kwara State,” she said.

She also congratulated the people of Shao on the coronation of Oba Job Atolagbe as the new Ohoro of Shao.

She said the administration remained committed to the preservation, sustenance and promotion of the state’s rich cultural heritage such as Ilorin Emirate Durbar, Patigi Regatta and Ganni festival.

The commissioner expressed the ministry’s ” profound appreciation to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for his unwavering support and dedication toward the support and promotion of various cultural festivals across the 16 local Governments Areas of the state. ”

Also speaking to NAN on the sidelines of the event, Abel Adewole, the Chairman of Shao Cultural Committee, said the wedding festival provides an opportunity to showcase the community to visiting dignitaries.

“ The 2023 Awon Mass Wedding is as remarkable as any other yearly event as it is a festival that the people of Shao are proud of because it has to do with our cultural heritage.

“We are proud of our heritage because every Shao indigene looks forward to it as it is a period when all sons and daughters of Shao from every part of the country meet.

“We discuss the shortcomings of the previous year and the development for the incoming year.

” We are trying as much as possible to get more sponsors just like in the past when MTN sponsored the event, donating new umbrellas to the brides together with other items.

” The present government is interested in promoting cultural heritage.

” Consider the presence of the people in government here like the Speaker of House of Assembly, Danladi Saliu, and some lawmakers, the Commissioner for Communication and other dignitaries.

” We normally give the brides incentives, empower them with things like sewing machines, hair driers, grinding machines and other equipment to appreciate them after the wedding.

” This is to make our daughters have a source of income on getting married,” he said.

One of the brides and mother of one, Ayoola Olaitan, said she was happy to be married, adding that all wishes come alive on wedding day.

“I am a Muslim but I decided to marry through Awon wedding because I don’t want to forget Shao customs and tradition coupled with the fact that all prayers are answered on wedding day.

“We, however, want government to assist us in Shao community and provide for our needs as well as empower brides who undertake Awon wedding,” the 32-year-old said.

Another bride, Omolayo Gbenga, said that she was very happy to be among the celebrated brides after many years of waiting.

The mother of four said: “My first born is 14 years old and I have four children with the same husband I am getting married to today.

“Brides usually get different gifts after the Awon wedding like money and vocational equipment depending on area of specialisation.

“We call on corporate organisations to continue to sponsor this event, ” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

OSHAKATI: The annual Tsumeb Copper Festival will take place from 01 to 04 November this year, under the theme ‘Empowering entrepreneurship for a sustainable Namibia.’

Chairperson of the Tsumeb Copper Festival, Julius Gaeseb, on Monday said the festival is aimed at uniting the business community, fostering networking and collaboration.

He said this year’s festival will feature local and international exhibitors who will showcase their products and services.

“The Tsumeb Copper Festival, since its inception in 2003, has grown to become a premier marketing event on our social and economic calendar,” he said.

Gaeseb stated that the festival boasts a diverse array of activities, including SME training, a youth summit, farmers’ day, business conference, and a sporting bonanza set to kick off the festivities the previous weekend.

These initiatives underline the festival’s commitment to community engagement, economic empowerment, and sustainability in Namibia, he said.

Gaeseb also noted that they raised N.dollars 620 000 during the first-ever breakfast meeting and official launch of the Tsumeb Copper Festival held on Friday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Exhibitors participating in the Amalgamated Rotational Annual Festival (ARAF) taking place in Omaruru have welcomed the platform availed to them to enable them to showcase their products.

ARAF is a collaborative initiative by the Omaruru, Karibib and Usakos Local Authority Councils (OKULAC), and will be rotationally hosted in the three different towns annually.

Mayor of the host town Vincent Kahua during the opening of the four-day festival expressed that the event is set to revive the economy and attract investment opportunities within the three towns, equalising small and medium enterprise growth and expansion for the betterment of the three towns’ livelihood.

Among the exhibitors is Gabriel Kambinda, a local farmer specialising in the production of vegetables.

Kambinda said the festival is a good platform for him to showcase his produce and promote his family business on the outskirts of Omaruru town.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to be allowed to also be part of it, although customers are not really many yet, it is understandable because it is still the first days of the festival, I believe more customers will come as time goes,” he stated.

Kambinda expressed that although the farm is faced with water shortage which sometimes affects production, his family have dug a man-made well to enable them to extract underground water to be able to water their crops.

“We have applied to the municipality for a prepaid card, which is what the municipality currently uses to supply water to the town’s residents, and we are hoping for a positive response soon because we want to grow our farm,” he said.

Another exhibitor Lawrence Nyambe, who travelled from Grootfontein in the Otjozondjupa Region said he saw the festival as an opportunity to market his upcoming catering business, Taste Buds, to the masses.

Nyambe commended the initiative, adding that platforms such as these should be provided often as they enable those who are unemployed to earn a little income.

“The unemployment rate is so high and often we sit and wait for something to be handed to us and nothing ever happens, so we are taking initiatives into our own hands. This business also enables me to be financially independent,” Nyambe expressed.

The local exhibitors also expressed the need for more platforms like these and permanent markets in the future to enable them to sell their products.

ARAF has attracted over 100 exhibitors including cooperates and SMEs, and ends on Saturday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) is working with social media platform TikTok to ensure that the content posted on the platform is decent and suitable for Kenyan viewers.
KFCB Ag. CEO Joel Wamalwa said that as the State Agency mandated to regulate the creation, broadcasting, distribution, and exhibition of audiovisual content in the country, they are confident that the discussion with Tiktok and other platforms, together with other stakeholders, would bear fruit in terms of ensuring that the content conforms to Kenya’s culture, moral values, and national aspirations.
Speaking Thursday during a workshop between TikTok and government agencies, Wamalwa said that the workshop is a timely engagement as it comes following a series of meetings with regards to TikTok operations in Kenya.
‘It is very gratifying to know that this workshop is a continuation of our fruitful engagement that also includes training, and we look forward to further engagement in the future,’ said Wamalwa.
He emphasised that it is of the utmost importance that we protect our minors from exposure to inappropriate content.
He continued… ‘The Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo said that we need to protect our cultural values through audiovisual content’.
He said that as KFCB, they welcomed TikToks’ commitment to working closely with partners to keep the platform free from unsuitable content in a push towards a safe online space, especially for children.
‘Our children are more tech savvy, and every time a parent puts down their phone, they are quick to grab it, and the most likely platform they will run to is TikTok,’ he said.
Wamalwa said that they are looking forward to working with TikTok on other initiatives like the parental digital literacy programme, which is geared towards giving parents and caregivers the requisite skills to guide children in the responsible use of digital platforms.
‘Understanding safety features and community guidelines on these platforms is key to ensuring that children remain safe online,’ said Wamalwa as he explained that recently, there have been online games and challenges with different steps, with some having the last step as committing suicide, and there have been unfortunate cases where children and teenagers have lost their lives.
TikTok Director of Government Relations and Public Policy Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda said that in Kenya, they have seen a rise in the misuse of the live feature on TikTok where people are coming in for sexual solicitation, which violates their community guidelines.
Sibanda said that they were aware of it, and in the meeting between President William Ruto and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, TikTok admitted that they were aware of the misuse and were doubling their moderation systems to be able to eradicate it.
He explained that in the last three months, they pulled down 91 million pieces of content globally for violating their community guidelines.
Sibanda said that the challenge was that bad actors always tried new ways to circumvent processes and systems, and even if they put in policies and guidelines, there would be people who would try to violate them. They are working hard to stay ahead of these bad actors by stopping them before they post the bad videos.
‘About 95 per cent of what was pulled down was done by our machine learning system,’ said Sibanda, adding that the 91 million looks big, but it only represents 0.6 per cent of the total content uploaded on the platform in the three months period.
He said that by and large, most content on TikTok is good content, as he explained that they were not ignoring the fact there was bad content, and this is why they are having workshops with various State Agencies to see how they could improve their systems.
‘In the first quarter of 2023, about 88.8 per cent of the content we took down was actually taken down before it was viewed by anyone, and our focus is now on the remaining 12 per cent and how we can minimise that,’ said Sibanda.
Other state agencies involved in the initiative are the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Kenya Police Service, Department of Children Services, Communications Authority of Kenya, Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Media Council of Kenya, Judiciary, and National Cohesion and Integration Commission, among others.

Source: Kenya News Agency

“There has never been a problem. I had said that all depended on him and he knew what he had to do,” he added.

Andre Onana’s reaction following the comments suggested that the declarations made during the press conference were unfounded.

“Lies produce flowers but not fruits” Onana shared on Instagram.

This is not the first time Onana is making reference to lies telling after Song’s outing.

During a press conference ahead of the Cameroon – Mexico friendly of June 11, the coach said “What you fail to understand is that I communicate regularly with Andre Onana on phone as a senior brother to a younger brother. We have no problem.”

Andre Onana immediately responded with a scornful post: “Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies” he wrote.

His posts on lies in the lions’ den began when he had to leave Qatar over the purported disagreement with Rigobert Song on game tactics.

“In a world where lying is the most common thing, telling the truth makes you a revolutionary. But in the end, time will put everything in its place” he said on December 8 after he left Qatar. His words implied that the national team staff had not been truthful.

In his remarks so far, the shot stopper has not openly mentioned any names but the timing and choice of words usually indicate whom they’re directed to.

Everyone awaits to see if Onana will join the Lions in Garoua on September 12, for the decisive encounter against the Swallows of Burundi.

Source: Cameroon News Agency