SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN FOR SAFE MIGRATION IN NIGERIA!

The African Courier Verlag and African-German Information Center Hamburg, co-operating with the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization Germany and supported by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, are currently carrying out a campaign for safe Migration in Nigeria.
The campaign, under the aegis of the Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria and whose motto is ‘Look before you leave’, seeks to raise public awareness of the risks and dangers of irregular migration while highlighting the opportunities for legal migration.
Please use any opportunity you get to send the message out to African youths: Migrate safely and responsibly and bear in mind always that Migration is not the only path success in life.

Nigerian singer Ologunde adopted the name Lagbaja (meaning ‘anonymous’ or ‘faceless one’ in Yoruba) as he embarked on his career in the early 90s. His name was reflected in his choice of stage attire – a slitted textile and rubber mask adopted so that the artist represented the ‘common man’ in keeping with the carnival tradition of his Yoruba tribe. He formed his first small band in 1991 in Lagos after he had taught himself to play the saxophone. With a high quotient of percussion instruments including congas and talking drums, this group drew its principal inspiration from the traditional highlife music of the 60s, as well as western jazz. Following regular performances at the Sea Garden venue in Lagos (an aquarium), they soon built up enough local support to acquire bookings at the French Institute. Their debut album was released in 1992. Colours – The Colour Of Rhythm included versions of stage classics such as ‘My Favourite Things’ and ‘Lilli Bolero’, in addition to the Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’, reflecting Ologunde’s long-standing fascination with English culture and music. Despite this, his attempts to have the album pressed on compact disc in England in 1993 were aborted when the British Embassy in Lagos refused him a work permit. America proved to be more welcoming. A further cassette followed in 1994, a self-titled collection which included songs such as ‘Naija Must Sweet Again’, which many took to be an attack on Nigeria’s military rulers. This theme was continued on sessions for Lagbaja’s 1996 album. Songs such as ‘Bad Leadership’ concerned what Ologunde views as the biggest problem afflicting contemporary Africa. He was then invited by the International Red Cross Committee to join Youssou N’Dour, Papa Wemba and Lucky Dube on a Pan-African project to promote awareness of humanitarian abuses. Each member of Ologunde’s band was sent to selected troubled areas of Africa and invited to submit two songs each documenting their experiences. The other participants joined together in Senegal to compose and record two of these songs at N’Dour’s Xippi studios. The project was also the subject of a film documentary by Cameroonian director Bassek Bakhobio.

SOURCE –   ALL MUSIC.COM

THE BEAUTY IN THE DARK

Last night I felt the beauty in the dark,
Warm whispers spelt upon the mystery of a stream,
And in the stillness of the night,
I kissed the moon,
For lost children wonder upon the valleys of this earth.Last Night I swayed amongst the rivers of a life,
And through the thunders I found your smile,
But in the silence of your eyes you said goodnight,
And in the richness of your grasp I felt a cry.But Africa,
In the spirit of your song,
I knew your shadow,
And in the richness of your grace I took that train,
For the howling drums in my Mothers backyard
Awakes my spirit,
And In the corners of your eyes,
I have shared a story.
A dream … A life…But now it is dark, and I cannot see you,
And the Voices from my elders begin to drown,
Now it is late and I cannot hear you,
For time separates the marshlands of this open forest,
Where the breasts of this earth
Feed the souls of my many brothers.Tonight I drank music in a foreign lake,
I sang history on an empty shore,
And when I danced the trees began to shiver,
For the Voices in my dark,
Became too dark… too firm… too realThe night is young and beautiful,
The shadows are still wandering in their hundreds,
From a distance I hear the crows of the cock,
And so I danced,
For in your story,
Life found a new voice
And In your glory hope found a new song.

Copyright ©  Tony Tokunbo Fernandez

Tony Tokunbo Eteka Fernandez, Published Poet and Author, Events Consultant, Peace Ambassador for Universal Peace Federation and The Founder for AFRICA4U, will be organizing The Black History Month Celebrations at The UK House of Parliament for the 5th Year in a row.

We are proud to introduce our youngest ever speaker  at Our Black History Month Celebrations at The UK House of Parliament  – Mr Philip Akoda

On the 18^th of February 2017, Philip Akoda and OdisoEdim released the first Efik Language Learning App on Google Play Store and the first in a series of Language Learning apps by their company, Aflang, which aims to revive and preserve dying African Languages.

Mr Philip Akoda’s Bio

Born on the 1st of May 1996 in Calabar, Nigeria, Philip Akoda, through his mother, Dr. Winifred Akoda, is a direct descendant of His eminence  EdidemBasseyEyo Ephraim Adam (III), a former Obong of Calabar. Spending most of his formative years in Calabar and the remainder travelling several African, European and American cities, Philip, at 17, went on to study Computer Hardware Engineering at the Lagos City Computer College and is presently studying Computer Engineering at the University of Essex, where he also sits on the board of Execs for the Nigerian Society.

Nigerians In Diaspora Organization (NIDO) Housing Investment Summit taking place in Lisbon – Portugal from November 9 – 11, 2017 at the Sana Metropolitan Hotel. This investment summit will be taking place simultaneously with the NIDO European Annual General Meeting (AGM). I hope to have the privilege to introduce “VISION 105” to the House via the AGM Committee. Even though local and foreign developers have executed and commissioned numerous construction projects across the country in recent years, the supply of affordable housing remains more than 17 million less of current demand. Just imagine 17 million Nigerians in Diaspora investing 1 Euro a month for one year! From VISION 105 perspective, remittance has a huge role to play in bolstering the real estate market in Nigeria and the time is now.

I am Dean Okai, I am 42 years old and originally from South London. I grew up on two housing estates in South London until I moved out of my Mother’s house at 18. Young Men don’t necessarily make the best decisions and me moving back to New Cross to be around certain friends wasn’t the smartest.

Within a couple of years I can say that I was surrounded by petty criminals on the establishing rungs of the ladder. Yet regardless of the environments and circumstances I found myself, I always knew exactly who I was going to be and where I was going to be. I had that same spirit in school, when I would hear teachers tell me I couldn’t do this or that.

There was never a stage in my life when I would base what I was capable of, based on other peoples limitations. Everybody you come across that is threatened by your confidence will try to convince you out of your position, by selling you fear and doubt. Don’t buy it, there is something innate in your spirit that knows your path and destiny.

Having established that at my core I was always a big brother and an entrepreneur, I made a decision that no matter how many businesses I had that went down and how much I lost a by product, that I would never sit still and continue evolving and sharpening my pencil with regards to mastering business processes and acumen.

In the year 2000, I lost two phone shops in South London after three burglaries that left me with £260 in my pocket. My MO was always to get a job for six months and take advantage of all of the resources around me to re-establish myself and save the stake money to bet on myself again. I’d make myself as small as possible and save until I reached my number and then leave for another Dean Okai adventure.

You will find a common thread with many entrepreneurs in that we have had many incarnations to give us 10,000 hours of practice, to master our environment within the business landscape. There is nothing easy about being in business, because as business people we are choosing to be problem solvers. When you look at the matrix of challenges in front of you such as a shrinking economy, new technology that reduces your customer base, marketing that has become more streamlined to attract niche markets, all whilst paying the commercial land lord, who is raising the rent.

Did I mention that you have to do all of this and manage the dynamic of personalities within our companies and manage Family life at the same time. Having a job is not practice for running a business. This upsets many people with jobs, who have aspirations to get off the plantation and become architects of their own destiny. You need to just do it. Do your research, surround yourself with expertise, emerce yourself in the industry you want to enter and be aware that you have a number of transferrable skills.

Because of my experience I have always been aware that I had a number of transferrable skills, which is why I never listened to anyone else about the limitations of my capabilities. I was encouraged to get a job and work for someone else from my earliest memories, this is how we first betray our children, which is why I home school my son and enable him to be an entrepreneur.

Getting around to my current business, Suits Direct on Camden High Street, which was only an opportunistic means to an ends to provide a daily income, whilst pursuing everything else that I do. It provides me with choices that enable me to advocate on the ‘Transition of the Black Pound’ projects, raise and spend time with my son to guarantee that he will permanently be his own boss. As Black people we need to practice self preservation that serves our Families and our collective interests first.

As Men we are obligated to pay the rent and feed our Families, whilst climbing the ladder to fulfil our dreams. Being an entrepreneur is the perfect way to do that, which is why I advocate for teaching our children to be financially literate and run their own businesses. From the age of 9 I always wanted to work for myself, inspite of the fact that my Mother always encouraged me to get a proper job. My son will never know the pressures of those conflicting interests and be happy to follow the desires of his heart.

Dean Okai

Nick is a marketing enthusiast with over 15 year’s industry experience specialising in arts marketing. He has produced shows locally and internationally, as well as marketed productions at a range of venues including the Garrick Theatre, in London’s West End. He was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of CultureMix Arts, a Reading based Community Interest Company and Arts Council, National Portfolio Organisation. Nick is a lecturer and PhD researcher at the University of Reading, an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Marketer and, when time allows, a Support Worker at Priors Court School, where he works with young people affected by severe Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

His PhD research focuses on the influence of West End theatre marketing on the ethnic profile of the theatregoing audience and explores issues such as social inequality, minority academic achievement and the concept of labelling. His research will contribute to the global and multifarious discourse on racial equality, as well as inform the future direction of arts marketing.

I am humbled to be organizing THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATIONS AT THE UK HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE 5TH YEAR IN A ROW in conjunction with the The MP for Reading West – MP ALOK SHARMA on Friday the 27th of October 2017-09-12
Events like these are also a way of showcasing Our History , Our Stories, Our culture and the real life experiences and profound contributions of great people making a difference to life each day. In the last four years the event has attracted the likes of Role Models, Celebrities, Community leaders and MPs from Conservative, Labour and The Scotish National party
This is A SPECIAL INVITE EVENT ONLY and all 60 invited guests have been notified by email with a SPECIAL INVITATION LETTER

It was a profound pleasure to interview the elected MP for Slough, MP Tanmanjeet Dhesi at his office in Chavley, Slough, It was the first time to meet this amazing man and community ambassador who had so much passion and zeal to make a positive difference to the lives of people living in Slough.

His grace, simplicity and clear vision for the future was profound and overwhelming

In the past, I had conducted previous interviews with the former MP for Slough -MP Fiona Mactaggart and it was great to  meet another Slough MP who was ready to lead by example.

Enjoy the interview i conducted with him, by clicking on the link below

Tanmanjeet was born on 17th August 1978 in Berkshire; when his parents lived in Chalvey in Slough where his father’s extended family had settled. After working for a local heating components manufacturer in Britwell and at the Langley Ford plant, his father moved into the Construction Industry in which he eventually went on to set up his own company with his wife, who had previously worked at a local garage on Farnham Road. Tanmanjeet received most of his primary education in the Punjab, India. He appreciates this move till now as it helped inculcate within his nature, the discipline, character and some of the values he stands for today. It also influenced his linguistic capabilities and cultural understanding, allowing him to easily communicate and associate with South Asians all over the world. He returned to the UK to finish his primary schooling in Gravesend – the town where his mother had spent most of her childhood and where his parents had married. He then attended the Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical (Grammar) School in Rochester; and later the Gravesend Grammar School, where he completed his GCSEs and ‘A’ Levels and had the honour of being elected by his peers as the school’s Deputy Head Boy.

Tanmanjeet has had the rare privilege of having studied in three of the most prestigious universities in the country. He studied Mathematics with Management Studies at University College London, before studying Applied Statistics at Keble College, Oxford University. Then he went on to explore the history and politics of South Asia and its connections with Great Britain while studying for his MPhil at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. Tanmanjeet freely admits that his time at university and his discussions with friends and others there had a significant impact on his thinking and general outlook on life.

Upon completing his studies, he joined the family business with a vision to take it to another level as well as to help shoulder the burden of his family. To get a complete understanding of the business, Tanmanjeet worked at every level within the organisation. He had also gained experience earlier during vacations from school/university when he used to work on the construction site as a handyman, scabbler, core driller and even a general labourer. He then worked his way up from site foreman to site manager, then project manager and eventually project director on site. He spent 3 years in Edinburgh, Scotland, working on several projects there. After his Scottish experience, he moved back to Kent, working now in the South.

In 2005, Tanmanjeet married Manveen. The couple has two young boys: 8 years and 4 years old.

Given Tanmanjeet’s vision and deep family roots in public life (with his grandparents, parents and other family members actively volunteering for charitable/political/religious/educational initiatives) it was inevitable that he would be inspired to choose a similar path and enter the public life arena, with the intention of making a positive difference for the betterment of society.

Emanating from a strong Labour supporting family, Tanmanjeet was also a member of the Labour Party. After he returned from Scotland, he was encouraged to contest the local council elections, at the age of 28. (He had previously respectfully declined a similar suggestion in 2003 since he would be working mostly in Scotland and would therefore not be able to fulfil his duties to the residents and his party.) He was elected as a councillor in 2007. Given the anti-Labour sentiment at the time (owing primarily to various national factors), the local Labour party lost control of the council, which it had controlled for 14 years. Despite a backdrop of decreasing Labour vote in all the wards, the percentage of Labour vote in his ward actually increased substantially. The rigorous doorstep micro-campaigning by a large number of family and friends played a crucial role in ensuring that this outstanding result transpired.

Tanmanjeet’s passion for studying languages, cultures and the desire to be able to communicate with others has led him to be a well versed polyglot being fluent in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and French as well as having a working knowledge of German, Italian and Latin. He has travelled widely in most of Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia.

Having this ability to communicate so well with all spheres of the community, whether they are the English/European language speakers, or the Punjabi, Hindi or Urdu speaking South Asian diaspora, or even the multilingual section like himself, has added to his popularity not only in the UK, but also whenever he visits India. It is for this reason that he has been invited by many TV channels and print media in both countries for interviews, to be a panellist or even host shows.

Tanmanjeet went on to volunteer for several charities and as a School Governor in two local schools. Within the Council, he was elected as the Shadow Cabinet Member (responsible for the Communities Portfolio). Following his re-election as a councillor in May 2011, he was unanimously elected as the Mayor. Subsequently, he became a Cabinet Member in 2012, with responsibility for Business & the Community portfolio. He also became the President of Gatka Federation UK – to enable further growth of Gatka (Sikh martial art) and has successfully organised tournaments up and down the country.

In July 2013, he was elected as the Labour Party’s MP candidate for the 2015 UK General Election. The national election did not prove successful, amidst an anti-Labour tide in South England. However, despite the Tory vote increasing in almost all South England constituencies, with his hard-fought campaign in Gravesham, there was actually a 1.5% swing from Tory to Labour, thereby reducing the previous Tory majority.

Throughout his life, he has remained deeply connected to Slough with regular visits to his father’s extended family who still live throughout the town, and he is humbled to have been given the opportunity to serve the town where he was born and brought up.

He believes – “Everyone can work/live for themselves, but it is the potential to help others (especially those who are vulnerable/less able than yourself) that stands you apart from the crowd. Each person can spend time helping him/herself, but to take the time out to help others is a much more valuable asset to have in one’s personality.

Promoted by Christine Hulme on behalf of Tan Dhesi, both at 52 Chalvey High Street, Slough, SL1 2SQ.

Universal Peace Federation – UK

Universal Peace Federation Founders: Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Mrs Hak Ja Han Moon

Mission

Through forums, seminars, conferences, service programs, and interfaith peace initiatives, the Universal Peace Federation builds a global network of peacebuilders to contribute to a world of sustainable peace in which everyone can live in freedom, harmony, cooperation, and prosperity.
Read more.

Focus Areas

• Renewal of the United Nations
• An Inter-Religious Council
• Marriage and Family
• Peace

Principles

• God – We are one human family created by God.
• Spirituality – The highest qualities of the human being are spiritual and moral.
• Family – The family is the “school of love and peace.”
• Service – Living for the sake of others
• Unity – Peace comes through cooperation beyond the boundaries of ethnicity, religion, and nationality.

Universal Peace Federation – UK Contacts Details: 

Email:  pa@uk.upf.org

Office Tel: 02072620985

Twitter: @ukUPF

Websites:

Main UPF – UK Website    www.uk.upf.org

Website: http://peacedevelopmentnetwork.wordpress.com

YouTube:     

https://www.youtube.com/user/ukupf 

http://uk.youtube.com/PeaceDevelopmntNetwk

UPF Headquarters Directions and Transport:

Map and Address: 43 Lancaster Gate, London, W2 3NA (click for map)

Transport: Buses: 390, 148 and 94 Leinster Terrace Bus Stop

Nearest Tube Stations:

• Paddington: Circle, Bakerloo, Hammersmith and City and Overground Trains
• Lancaster Gate Station Central Line