Africa’ bloodiest civil war pillaged the Lion Mountain of this continent, a decade of senseless war raged in Sierra Leone, fuelled by Blood Diamonds. Men, women and children’s hands, arms, limbs and feet were hacked off by the swing of a machete. The perpetrators were disillusioned rebels under the command of Liberian War lord; Charles Taylor .The war inflicted a heavy toll on human capital.

With approximately 20,000 deaths, 20 million displaced some 27,000 registered amputees according to UN analysis. Devil in Freetown (January 6) depicts a true recounting of Sierra Leone ten year civil war. The ethos of this movie is to showcase the resilience of Sierra Leone and her people in rising up from the ashes of the war despite the human, structural and societal destruction it experience. The date, January 6th 1999, will be forever etched in the minds of Sierra Leoneans as the bloodiest day of the war.

This movie will bring to light inhumane activities which took place in what had once been one of Africa’s most peaceful country and to also highlight the need to strive for continuous and prevailing unity in any given country, be it in Africa, Europe, America, etc. War brings pain, despair, insurmountable loss and desolation. Our message is to illustrate to friends and neighbours of Sierra Leone that the peace of one’s country/ native land must be maintained and preserved. Unfortunately, the effects of war are still prevalent in the lives of many, the victims of the Blood Diamond fuelled war – the war afflicted amputees. In post conflict Sierra Leone, people with disabilities and amputations (attributed to the methodical dismemberment of civilians during war; which resulted in thousands of innocents losing hands, arms, legs) are more marginalised. Exclusion from services, community activities and productive opportunities increase the risk for people with post conflict amputations and disabilities.

Consequently, they will continue to stay in poverty or fall into extreme poverty if intervention is not implemented, thereby creating a vicious web of acute underclass for generations unborn. 70% of the population are living below poverty line, 26% are classified as extremely poor with the majority categorised as physically challenged. Life expectancy is 39 years whilst health and education indicators are among the lowest in the world. Many amputees in the provinces are not registered due to lack of access to auditing. The producers of Devil in Freetown have pledged to render a percentage of the movie premiere’s proceeds to Melqosh Mission International, a UK based Charity, birthed to equip, educate and empower war afflicted amputees and their dependents. For more information about this humanitarian organisation,

please visit www.melqoshmissioninternational.org

Tony Emeka Igwe Ojiaku, Popularly known as Tprhymes, is the last born from a Family of seven, his father’s name was Patrick, Married with four Children. He grew up in Lagos, Studied at Saint Finbarrs College, Akoka, a holder of The Royal Society of Arts Certificate, London in Secretarial Management, has worked as Secretary with Options Securities Limited, a stockbroking house in Lagos affiliated to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, also with various Lawyers, such as Ogugua Chioke and Co. Barrister Okoye of the Legal Department of the Champions Newspaper and the Late Gani Fawehinmi as his Personal Secretary.
Utilizing his experience as an MC, Secretary , songswriter, while in Nigeria, He is now a Producer/Presenter with Naija EU TV also Editor with Naija EU Magazine, Co organizer of Naija EU Awards. He is a Well known Artists Promoter, relates with almost all Nigerian Artists in Europe.
His next move is to make Naija EU TV be receivable in Europe through Satelite in order to project Nigerian Artists, Businessmen and women Living in Europe and also connecting them with their Nigerian based Collegues.
Tprhymes ventured into Artists Promotion because he discovered a lot of talented Nigerian Artists based here in Europe and the reason they are not recognized is because they lack promotions. He started travelling around meeting with Artists, interviewing them and presenting them to the world through the Social Media. Today many of these Artists are recognized both home and abroad. He is looking forward to hooking up with more and more Artists, Businessmen and Women.
To reach him you can call him on 0034.631257539 or send E-mail to Naijaeutv@gmail.com or Neumag1@gmail.com

EXACTLY ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, MY BRAND – Africa4U WILL BE LIVE IN LAGOS, CONDUCTING VIDEO AND AUDIO INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF THE BEST NIGERIAN PERFORMING ARTISTS, WRITERS, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS, ROLE MODELS AND PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO LIFE –

AFRICA4U IS ALL ABOUT PROMOTING AND CELEBRATING THE GREAT WORK OF AFRICANS AROUND THE WORLD AND SHARING THEIR STORIES ON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, BLOGS AND PODCASTS

AFRICA4U CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

AFRICA4U MEDIA
AFRICA4U ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS- 
THE AFRICA4U MENTORING ACADEMY

DATES FOR THE INTERVIEWS CAN BE FOUND BELOW

MONDAY THE 9TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE, 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

TUESDAY THE 10TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

FOR MORE INFO YOU CAN CONTACT ME – afripoet@hotmail.com 

ALSO WATCH HIS SPACE FOR OUR GUEST INTERVIEW SESSIONS WITH TOP FM 90.9 LAGOS, NIGERIA AND IGROOVE RADIO STATION, LAGOS, NIGERIA 

TAKE TIME TO ALSO VISIT MY WEBSITE- www.africa-awakening.co.uk

WISHING YOU ALL A GREAT WEEK AHEAD

Julia Titus is an actress, poet, singer and songwriter born in the UK and has been singing for many years in various bands as backing singer and lead vocalist and performing in many plays.  Julia has performed in many countries and has worked with such people as Vin Gordon, Lindel Lewis and Mafia and Fluxy to date and has shared the same stage with people like Jah Cure, TKO, Judy Boucher, Bomani and Winston SoSo.  

Apart from writing and performing her own songs  and poetry Julia also sings in a number of Bands including Beggars Belief (Blues), Atmosphere (Steel Band) and The Enchanters (Lovers Rock and Reggae), The Jamaican Folk Singers and The Hurricane Force Steel Band.

Her self penned tribute to the victims of the “911” disaster called “I forgot to say I love you” has been remixed into a funky mix and has just been re-recorded for the album on a drum beat!  “When I sing this song people hold hands and cry together” It means exactly what it says in the title and was first recorded after a dear cousin of mine was shot dead by Police in Jamaica.  This songs breaks all boundaries of colour, religion, geography and status I could go on but everyone can relate to losing someone.

Julia has now written many songs and her most recent accolade is the duet she has with the late great Sugar Minott, released on Treasure House Productions called “Dreaming of You” available from Amazon download. “I always believed that Lovers Rock is a universal music in the true vein of the Jamaican Reggae Music that I grew up listening to. I hope to help re-introduce Lovers Rock into mainstream music at a time when Gun culture in lyrics is rife and try and re-balance things between love and hatred” Julia is an inspiration as an artiste and as a human being.  “All About You” is out now on vinyl available from Dub Vendor.

Dreaming of you = http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreaming-You-feat-Sugar-Minott/dp/B004TUQBFA

She lives simply and honestly with those around her whilst she encourages them to realise the power they hold within themselves, the great positive things they are able to do and the intense comfort that music can be to them as it has been to her.

– See more at: http://www.juliatitus.com/bio/#sthash.84Z6a0hi.dpuf

          Between The Sheets,

          Lie the same old prisons of stagnant voices

          Stained …..

          Chained ….

          Constrained

         By the Dark shadows of forgotten fantasies

         And the cobwebs that you the in the corner

         Are anxious to define the width of the ceiling

       Between The Sheets

       Lie the bareness of a detached world

      The expired stories from Local Champions

       The monotony of an isolated palace

       The perfection of boredom

       A sea of The same faces

       Confined to a world of predictable safety

      Between The Sheets

      YOU

       I

      Head above Water

      Perhaps its Time

     To merge the little castle

     Into the mindset of A Mighty Ocean

 For years, for decades and for generations, Music not only represents the voices and the engine of Life, it entails the spirit of our stories, the tempo and the substance of societal norms and values, but most importantly, Music represents Life.

In Africa, Music is Life and Life is Music and from different regions, the same old story is painted with metaphors of different shades.

Sunday the 17th of May, was more than just  A Dejavu, It was a day that everyone had been waiting for as ZIMBPRAISE- An International Gospel Group from Zimbabwe, visited Watford for the very first time and embraced the evening with Soft notes, electrifying voices and puzzles of crafted music beyongd words.

From Start to finish, the fusion of the most beautiful voices empowered the audience with an organised gospel engine of structured collective voices.

Zimpraise is an International and Praise Worship Group of Christian musicians from different backgrounds and denominations that have come together as a Praise family. They were founded in 2006 with head office at 69 Central Avenue, Harare.

AFRICA4U and ZIMLINK were at the event conducting Video Interviews with the talented performing artists of The Zimbpraise Team.
The precision, The craft and the collective harmoony of family voices was an art in itself that left me speechless and tickled the substance of my bones with a raw moving feeling.

To put the icing on the cake, each of the members wore a smile filled with life, love and new energy.

Also present at the event was The Gospel Music Icon and legend – Mr Mechanic Manyeruke who also entertained the crowd with a deliberate craft of nostalgic numbers. Here is a picture with me and The Gospel legend below

   I got talking with this great man during the interlude and was instantyl overwhelmed by his humility and his grace.
He told me of his previous music tours to Germany, Austria and Holland

ZIMPRAISE – is definately an International Family Gospel Group to look out for – definately one of the best International Gospel groups i have watched for a very long time

   BREAKING NEWS

Africa4U WILL BE LIVE IN LAGOS IN THE MONTH OF JUNE

WE WILL BE CONDUCTING VIDEO AND AUDIO INTERVIEWS WITH NIGERIAN PERFORMING ARTISTS, WRITERS, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS, ROLE MODELS AND PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO LIFE, TIME SLOTS WILL BE ALLOCATED ACCORDINGLY
AFRICA4U IS ALL ABOUT PROMOTING AND CELEBRATING THE GREAT WORK OF AFRICANS AROUND THE WORLD AND SHARING THEIR STORIES ON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

AFRICA CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

AFRICA4U MEDIA
AFRICA4U ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS-
THE AFRICA4U MENTORING ACADEMY

DATES FOR THE INTERVIEWS CAN BE FOUND BELOW

MONDAY THE 9TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE, 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

TUESDAY THE 10TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

FOR MORE INFO YOU CAN CONTACT ME – afripoet@hotmail.com

   Louise is a British broadcaster specialising in radio programmes. She began her career at the age of 17 by volunteering for a community radio project and her career developed from there. After 4 years of study at university and work experience Louise started to become more involved in broadcasting – from 2005 producing BBC local radio programmes. In 2006 Louise launched a new African Caribbean specialist show on BBC Radio Berkshire that discusses topical current affairs with music. The show ran for 7 years. In 2006 she began to work for Immedia Broadcasting – a radio company that provides live retail broadcasting story. Louise ran services and also launched pilot services like U-Live – a School radio service for students, the first of its kind. Louise’s career has included news reading, live outside broadcasts, reporting on location, making podcasts and radio documentaries, interviewing guests and providing news stories for BBC Radio stations across the country. Louise has had the privilege to work on Investigative BBC TV programme Inside Out to present, research and produce items. At the moment she is the voice of Superdrug live – a national retail radio service and runs her own venture – Soundbite Media that focuses on Media Relations, broadcasting and training courses.

BREAKING NEWS

Africa4U WILL BE LIVE IN LAGOS IN THE MONTH OF JUNE

WE WILL BE CONDUCTING VIDEO AND AUDIO INTERVIEWS WITH NIGERIAN PERFORMING ARTISTS, WRITERS, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS, ROLE MODELS AND PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO LIFE, TIME SLOTS WILL BE ALLOCATED ACCORDINGLY
AFRICA4U IS ALL ABOUT PROMOTING AND CELEBRATING THE GREAT WORK OF AFRICANS AROUND THE WORLD AND SHARING THEIR STORIES ON VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

AFRICA CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

AFRICA4U MEDIA
AFRICA4U ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS-
THE AFRICA4U MENTORING ACADEMY

DATES FOR THE INTERVIEWS CAN BE FOUND BELOW

MONDAY THE 9TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE, 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

TUESDAY THE 10TH OF JUNE FROM 10AM TO 5PM AT REKIS EYE CENTRE 5 SANUSI FAFUNWA STREET, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

FOR MORE INFO YOU CAN CONTACT ME – afripoet@hotmail.com