Showbiz
Design Indaba, Google Unveil Colours of Africa to Showcase African Creatives
An online initiative known as Colours of Africa has been launched by Design Indaba in partnership with Google Arts & Culture.
The project brings online and showcases 60 specially-curated artworks produced by over 60 unique African creatives chosen by Design Indaba – each invited to contribute a work that captures the ‘colour’ and character of their home country.
Selected by Design Indaba’s founder Ravi Naidoo, the creatives will showcase the best of African craft, product, industrial design, fashion, film, animation, graphic, food, music, jewellery and architecture.
“Africa is known for its bold, unapologetic use of colour. Each country, city and community is identifiable by its unique palette. As Africans, we can tell powerful stories through colour. This project tells a story of a continent through the universally accessible lens,” says Naidoo.
The first artistic undertaking of this scale, the project will allow viewers to discover stories of Africa as told by the African creative community. The artworks will be showcased online where users are invited to spin the kaleidoscope to explore the works in an effort to take users on a journey through Africa, inviting them to view each country through the eyes of a local artist.
“Google has always been acutely aware and in full support of the immense creative melting pot that exists on the continent. Collaborating with Design Indaba on this project allows us to bring this support to fruition. By empowering and amplifying African voices to tell the unique stories of their cultures through their work and creativity, we hope to provide much-needed exposure, cultivate a newfound curiosity, and provide a window into the vast beauty that exists on the continent,” says Nitin Gajria, Managing Director at Google.
The project involves creatives from almost every discipline imaginable, from architecture, illustration, painting and ceramics through to writing, engineering, the performing arts and visual communications. Their creations have been converted into images, videos, texts and illustrations. The multidisciplinary mix of 60 artists includes Algerian photographer Ramzy Bensaadi, fashion designer Bisrat Negassi from Eritrea, filmmaker Archange Kiyindou “Yamakasi” from the Republic of Congo and visual artist Ngadi Smart from Sierra Leone.
To bring the project to life, Design Indaba collaborated with former Design Indaba conference speaker Noel Pretorius and his creative partner, Elin Sjöberg, who collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab to create the design concept and interface for the digital exhibition. The exhibition features a kaleidoscopic navigation tool that can be used to explore the art in a randomised way, giving the visitor a unique experience while allowing the art itself to shine.
“Nothing like this exists to date, so we’re very excited to break new ground. This is an important artistic catalogue, the first of its kind to plot the expanse of African artistry on Google Arts & Culture. We salute Google for taking this important step to provide the world with a resource like this – not everyone can afford to travel here or access physical art fairs and museums to view this kind of work,” continues Naidoo.
In addition to the Colours of Africa platform, the initiative will also see the launch of over 4 000 images, videos and 20 carefully curated exhibits from Design Indaba’s extensive archive. Award-winning initiatives like Sheltersuit, Arch for Arch and Emerging Creatives will be profiled extensively for the first time online.
New works by some of the most important creatives working on the continent and abroad will also be displayed. These include Fozia Ismail (featured creative on Serpentine Gallery’s Creative Exchange programme), Mayada Adil El Sayed (represented Sudanese women at the Generation Equality Forum) and Lady Skollie (winner of the 10th FNB art prize).
Design Indaba, which celebrated its 25th year in 2020, draws top thinkers and guests from across the globe. Acknowledged as the world’s best design conference, it continues to be a leader in foregrounding African creativity, making it the logical ‘home’ for this project.
“We look forward to giving viewers a ticket to experiencing a whole new world, one that is outside of their everyday surroundings and creative knowledge. This project answers the vital call for all to notice and embraces African art in all its wonder,” concludes Nitin Gajria at Google.
As part of the project launch, Design Indaba commissioned Nigerian multi-talented creative and accomplished professional artist, Chief Nike Monica Okundaye, to capture the unique spirit of her country in a colour which represents home to her. She created an original painting titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’.
Colour: Royal Blue
Country: Nigeria
Artwork Rationale:
The colour blue in Nigerian indigenous cultures is the colour of love. Before a king ascends the throne, he often has to wear royal indigo blue. In Yorùbá, this is called ẹtù. In northern Nigeria, the colour is also used for the chief or the king. Same in eastern Nigeria. In the north, they sometimes even pound the blue into the turban when they marry a new wife. The whole face is sometimes blue to show love to the new bride. During their Durba, they sometimes wear the shining blue colour in the turbans to show love to the people at the festival.
“I used blue for this painting titled ‘The Female Drummer/Àyánbìnrin’ to illustrate both the love you see here between the drummer and her lover and the love desperately needed in the time of the coronavirus lockdown. In Yorùbá societies, the talking drummer is usually at the front of the palace, sending messages to the king through the medium of the drum — messages that the visitor themselves might not understand. The unique thing about this painting, done during the lockdown, is the use of a female drummer instead of the typical male ones seen in traditional Yorùbá art. My work involves female empowerment — I have trained disadvantaged women, widows, and young women for many years on fabric art — so I am always happy to put women at the forefront of my artistic philosophy”, says Nike Okundaye, Founder and Managing Director of Nike Center for Art and Culture.
After days of anticipation, Flora and Aikou have been confirmed as this season’s Gambits after receiving the highest number of votes from viewers. This was revealed during Sunday’s live show, where host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu announced the pair as the viewers’ choices.
Introduced as a brand-new twist for Season 11, The Gambit guarantees two selected housemates a place in the House until the final day. Although they will participate in tasks and House activities throughout the season, they will not be eligible to compete for the grand prize.
Sunday’s live show also marked the end of the Ladies-versus-Gentlemen format that defined the opening weeks of the competition. With the teams officially dissolved, the housemates will now compete as individuals.
Biggie also unveiled this week’s wager task, Game On, challenging the housemates to define the identity of Season 11. Through a creative presentation incorporating elements such as a logo, slogan, song, artwork and props, the housemates have been tasked with capturing what they believe this edition of Big Brother Naija should stand for and how they want it to be remembered.
The excitement continues today with the second Head of House Challenge at 2:00 p.m., where housemates will once again battle for power in the House. This will be followed by this week’s nomination show at 7:00 p.m., when viewers will find out who will become the first set of housemates to face possible eviction.
With Flora and Aikou’s fate in the House secured till the last day and the housemates now playing as individuals, the stakes have never been higher as the battle for the grand prize gathers momentum.
Viewers can enjoy the 24/7 BBNaija Season 11 experience on DStv and GOtv, or stream every episode live on DStv Stream and GOtv Stream.
For more updates, visit Africa Magic’s Big Brother Naija page and follow #BBNaija on X (@bbnaija), Instagram (@bigbronaija) and Facebook (Big Brother Naija).
By Adedapo Adesanya
Former P-Square manager, Mr Jude Okoye, has dismissed fresh allegations by his younger brother, Peter Okoye, professionally known as Mr P, insisting he never diverted the group’s earnings.
His response comes after Mr P claimed that the proposed sale of the defunct group’s multi-billion Naira music catalogue collapsed due to financial irregularities, including disputes over royalty payments, backend records and access to the group’s digital assets.
The music executive described the allegations as “blatant lies” and “manipulative tactics,” arguing that the issues raised by Mr P had already been investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and are currently before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
“So, what is he doing, coming out again now, if not to spill emotional blackmail, manipulate, and make me look like a bad person by dragging Paul into this?” he said.
Responding to allegations that he diverted royalty payments, Mr Okoye said the disputed funds were distributed based on instructions contained in a June 1, 2016, email from Arrow Kings and IROKO.
According to him, the correspondence directed that Mr P receive $12,891, while $25,782 meant for Jude and Paul be paid into the Nosa Entertainment account.
He argued that Mr P presented only part of the transaction publicly, creating the impression that he and Paul had appropriated funds belonging to the entire group.
Jude also rejected claims that his younger brother was excluded from the group’s bank accounts.
Displaying what he said were account mandate documents from FCMB, he maintained that Peter, Paul and himself were all authorised signatories to P-Square’s accounts, disputing claims made by Peter.
He further claimed the matter was addressed during court proceedings, where Peter allegedly acknowledged being a signatory after documentary evidence was presented.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the proposed catalogue sale, Jude denied withholding backend records or streaming data from potential investors.
He said Peter requested royalty statements and catalogue documents on October 16, 2022, after which he immediately contacted Lex Records.
According to him, the financial statements were forwarded the same day, while the backend logs were received six days later and sent to Peter without delay.
He therefore dismissed claims that it took more than three months to provide the documents, describing the allegation as false.
Jude maintained that the disputed royalty payments, email correspondence and supporting documents had already been reviewed during the EFCC investigation.
He claimed Peter and his legal representatives were shown the records during the probe and raised no objections at the time.
Accusing his younger brother of attempting to retry the matter on social media while the case remains before the court, Jude said the videos were intended to manipulate public opinion and drag Paul Okoye into the dispute.
Jude said he would leave the issues to be determined by the court, adding that Peter had failed to attend some recent court sittings, resulting in the matter being adjourned until September. He also claimed his bank accounts, passport and travel documents remain restricted because of the ongoing proceedings.
“If I’m found guilty, if they prove I took even one Kobo that wasn’t mine, let them send me to jail. I’m ready for that,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, Peter had not publicly responded to Jude’s latest claims. The criminal proceedings remain pending before the Federal High Court in Lagos, where Jude has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
There aren’t many TV shows that can make you remember characters more than a decade after you first met them.
Mention Sheila Gardia or Freddy Ade-Williams and anyone who has followed Tinsel instantly remembers the boardroom battles, unexpected betrayals, complicated romances and family feuds that made it impossible to stop at just one episode. Through every season, viewers have watched alliances shift, businesses rise and fall, and relationships survive or crumble under pressure.
Now, the story continues.
Season 19 of Tinsel premieres on Monday, August 3, taking viewers back into the world of the Ade-Williams family, where the drama is far from over. This season, the Reel Group is looking to grow bigger than ever, but that growth comes with new enemies determined to bring the company down. As business rivalries heat up and people begin plotting against each other, familiar faces will also have to deal with personal challenges and unexpected investigations that could change everything. If there’s one thing Tinsel has always proven, it’s that just when you think things are finally settling down, another twist is around the corner.
The new season welcomes back familiar faces including Ireti Doyle as Sheila Gardia, Dozie Onyiriuka as Freddy Ade-Williams, Linda Ejiofor as Bimpe, Ibrahim Suleiman as Damini, Iyke Okechukwu as Chuks and Florence Uwaleke Okechukwu as Ene, alongside the gripping storytelling that has kept audiences invested for nearly two decades.
Catch new episodes of Tinsel every weekday from Monday, August 3, at 7:30 pm WAT on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Channel 151 and GOtv Channel 8).
And just when you think the drama is over…
Africa Magic is also introducing a brand-new story that asks one simple question: What happens when the truth you’ve been protected from is finally revealed? Premiering on the same day is Secret Lives, a brand-new drama that explores what happens when hidden truths finally come to light.
The series follows Zee, whose life takes an unexpected turn after a shocking discovery puts her relationship and future in doubt. As she begins to uncover secrets that have been hidden from her for years, she is forced to deal with heartbreak, betrayal and difficult choices while trying to protect the people she loves.
Blending romance, family drama and suspense, Secret Lives stars Oluchi Amajuoyi, Keppy Ekpeyong, Nonso Odogwu, Eyiyemi Olivia Rogbinyin, Ejiro Badare, Floyd Igbo and Favour Etim in a story where every episode promises fresh twists and emotional turns.
The series, produced by FEEMO and helmed by AMVCA-nominated showrunner James Omokwe, explores themes of love, identity and generational secrets, making it the perfect follow-up for viewers who enjoy emotionally layered dramas.
Secret Lives premieres on Monday, August 3, with new episodes airing weekdays at 8:30 pm WAT on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Channel 151 and GOtv Channel 8), with episodes also available on DStv Stream.
Whether you’re returning to the familiar world of Tinsel or diving into the mysteries of Secret Lives, one thing is certain: August is bringing the kind of stories that will keep you counting down to the next episode.
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