Category: lifestyle

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Odun Olojo (the day of first dawn), a respected festival in Yorubaland holds in grand style

The ‘Olojo’ festival, which is held annually in Ile Ife, Osun State, took place on Saturday, September 24, 2022.

It is one of the most popular and respected festivals in Yorubaland, and is celebrated in honour of ‘Ogun’, the god of iron, believed to be the first son of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race. The festival connotes the day in the year specially blessed by ‘Olodumare’ (the creator of the universe). Prayers are offered for peace and tranquillity in Yorubaland and Nigeria.

This year’s edition was tagged, Culture Tourism: The Genesis, and wil hold between September 23 and 26, 2022.

Recall that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, had, as stipulated by tradition, gone into seclusion on Monday, September 19, 2022, before returning to the palace on Friday, September 21, after some women from the town had earlier swept the palace, which symbolises sanitisation from evil. During the seclusion, the Ooni was expected to commune with the ancestors and pray for his people.

The festival formally started on Saturday, September 17, and was dedicated to Gbajure Cultural Carnival and Adire Oodua Cultural Possession. This was followed by the Festival Children Quiz Competition, on Monday, September 19.

On September 22, activities included the Ayo Olopon Traditional Game, Olojo Cultural Entertainment Hunt (Audition) and the Olojo Festival Colloquium.

Ojo Ilagun, Iwode Ile-Ife (Community Cleansing), Oonirisa Terrestrial Message to the World and Oonirisa’s Adire Hub Fiesta held on Friday, September 23.

On Saturday, September 24, activities held were the Festival Grand Final Official Ceremony, Ojo Okemogun, Aare Cultural Procession and Ojaja Grand Resort Musical Concert.

On Monday, September 26, activities that will hold include Ojo Ibile (Oonirisa Ancestral Traditional Propitiation) and Cultural Talent Hunt (Final).

On Wednesday, September 28, the grand finale of the festival, all ‘Oodua clubs’ will pay homage to the Ooni.

One of the highlights of the festival on Saturday, when the new queen of the Ooni, Mariam Ajibola, stepped out with her hubby looking resplendent in her outfit.

Dignitaries who attended the line-up of events include the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who represented the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); the Osun State Deputy Governor, Benedict Alabi; as well as popular socialite and the Iyalaje Oodua, Toyin Kolade.

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AMVCA 2022: Funke Akindele’s ‘Omo Ghetto’ Awarded – (See Full List Of Other Winners)

The eighth edition of the AMVCA 2022 (Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards) concluded in glitz and splendor at the Eko Hotels in Victoria Island, Lagos. On Sunday, May 8, a series of events included a fashion runaway show, content creators brunch, young film makers day, and culture and cuisine festival day led off the award show.

IK Osakioduwa and Bonang Matheba of South Africa hosted the grand finale. AMVCA is an annual gathering of African film and television industry executives and fans.

Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.

Osas Ighodaro, a Nigerian actress, was named Best Dressed Female at the event, while Denola Grey was named Best Dressed Male, each taking home a monetary prize of N500,000.

Also, Pascal Aka and Raquel from the movie ‘Gold Coast Lounge’ won the Best Soundtrack category walking away with one million Naira.

Nigerian actress, producer, Teniola Aladese won the Trailblazer award, going home with a cash price of one million naira, and also an extra gift of $2,000 dollars from the Hollywood star, Tasha Smith.

Here is a full list of winners ofthe 8th Edition:

  1. Best Overall film – Amina – Izu Ojukwu & Okey Ogunjiofor
  2. Best Actress In a Drama – Osas Ighodaro – Rattlesnake : The Ahanna Story
  3. Best Actor in a Drama – Stan Nze – Rattlesnake : The Ahanna Story
  4. Best Actress in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series) – Funke Akindele-Bello – Omo Ghetto the Saga
  5. Best Actor in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series) – Broda Shaggi – Dwindle
  6. Best Supporting Actress (Movie/TV Series) – Omowummi Dada – Country Hard
  7. Best Supporting Actor (Movie/TV Series) – Odunlade Adekola – Jankariwo
  8. AMVCA Trailblazer Award – Teniola Aladese
  9. Best Director – Ramsey Nouah – Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story
  10. Best Art Director (Movie/TV series) – Tunji Afolayan – Amina
  11. Best Picture Editor – Tunde Apalowo – For Maria Ebun Pataki
  12. Best Sound Editor (Movie/TV series) – Jim Lively and James Nelson – Amina
  13. Best Lighting Designer (Movie/TV Series) – Mathew Yusuf for Rattlesnake- The Ahanna Story
  14. Best Writer (Movie/TV Series) – Manie Oiseomaye, Donald Tombia and Biodun Stephen – Introducing The Kujus
  15. Best Cinematographer – Muhammed Atta Ahmed – Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story
  16. Best Makeup – Balogun Abiodun – Omo Ghetto The Saga
  17. Best Costume Designer – Millicent T. Jack – Amina
  18. Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series (Swahili) – Freddy Feruzi – Obambo
  19. Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series (Hausa) – Rogers Ofime for Voiceless
  20. Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series (Yoruba) – David Akande, Demola Yusuf and Edgard Leroy – Alasie
  21. Best Indigenous Language Movie or TV Series (Igbo) – Uche Nnanna Maduka – ‘Nne-Ka
  22. Best Television Series (Drama/ Comedy) – Rogers Ofime -The Mystic River
  23. Best Documentary – Saitabao Kaiyare, Mumo Liku, Elena Schilling, Daniella Fritz and Ann Katrina Boberg – If Objects Could Speak
  24. Best Short Film Or Online Video – Taiwo Ogunnimo – I Am The Prostitute Mama Described
  25. Best Online Social Content Creator – Oga Sabinus – Mr Funny
  26. Best Movie (Southern Africa) – Hairareb- Dantagos Jimmy-Melani
  27. Best Movie (East Africa) – The Girl In The Yellow Jumper- Morocco Omar
  28. Best Movie (West Africa) – Collision Course – Bolanle Austen-Peters and Joseph Umoibom
  29. Best Soundtrack (Movie/TV Series) – Gold Coast Lounge – Pascal Aka and Raquel
  30. Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series – The Johnsons
  31. Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series – The Rishantes’ – Dimbo Atiya
  32. Industry Merit Award – Taiwo Ajayo-Lycett
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Start Your Perfect Morning with Muesli

This week, the Louvre Museum in Paris was even forced to close for a day because of its overcrowding problem. (Some union representations for the museum said tourists have stifled  renovation work on the Mona Lisa, crowding them into tight, unworkable spaces.) If you’ve ever wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, or the Statue of Liberty, you should know now: You’ll likely run into hordes of slow-moving, selfie-stick-carrying tourists at any popular tourist attraction.

While not foolproof, there are a few effective strategies in avoiding tourists while visiting popular travel hotspots; just be sure to reserve tickets early and make use of your destination’s city-pass option. If you’re planning ahead, the easiest way to avoid the hordes of tourists is to visit during the off-season, which will vary depending on your destination.

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Book During Shoulder or Off-season

In Europe, peak season is summer and off-season generally spans the months of November to March. (“Shoulder season” occurs during the transition months from peak to off-season and back). Meanwhile, Australia’s peak season happens between December and February, when weather conditions are at their best, and low-season takes place from May to August.

If you’re headed on a trip to visit the Statue of Liberty, USA Today recommends visiting during fall or winter when lines are expected to be shorter. Visiting the Eiffel Tower? You should expect wait times as long as two hours during the summer and less than 30 minutes on weekdays during shoulder and off-season, SmarterTravel writes.

Before you even book a flight, you might want to take a look at popular attractions’ availability; as the New York Times writes, tourist attractions like the Statue of Liberty—which require a ticket to visit—can book out months in advance. For this reason, you’ll want to buy a ticket as early as possible, which can usually be done online for major attractions.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. – Paul Tournier

You might find that some cities offer city-wide passes to visit a number of attractions, as well. Purchasing a Madrid Card, for example, will let you into a number of attractions in the city, and allow you to skip any lines. (Some cities may offer museum combination-tickets which work similarly, too.) You should research any ticketing options by doing an online search for your destination’s tourism board, for example.

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