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BN Features presents Newsworthy: 10 Things that Stood Out in 2010 & 11 to Look Forward to in 2011
We know 2010 is officially over and we are now fully into the sthird week of 2011! However 2010 was a big year with a lot of newsworthy headlines, some good and some, not so good. We at BellaNaija.com have decided to officially wind down 2010 by recalling TEN of the year’s biggest and most buzz-worthy events! Also to officially usher in the New Year, BN Features Editor, Glory Edozien, highlights ELEVEN areas sure to make the headlines in 2011!
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10 Things We Talked About in 2010
The Passing of Legends – Young & Old: Nigeria and her music community lost one of her music greats! Dapo Olaitan Olaonipekun also known as Da Grin sadly passed away in April 2010 after complications following a car accident. 2010 was tipped to be a big year for the late star as his album which contained heavy hitters, including Pon Pon Pon and Kondo, revolutionalised Nigeria’s hip hop and pop culture scene. Da Grin was posthumously nominated for numerous awards, but God seemingly had a higher calling for him. The Nigerian music scene has undoubtedly suffered from this epic loss. We also lost Nigeria’s Fuji Legend, Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister to illness in December 2010.
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The Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the Rise of President Goodluck Jonathan: The Nigerian political scene started out with great trepidation in 2010 – one which nearly tore the country apart. The illness of the late President and his resultant departure overseas for medical care left a huge political vacuum which many feared would lead to military take over. Sadly, President Yar’Adua passed away on 6th May 2010 and his Vice, Goodluck Jonathan, became the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Personally, we believe the way this potentially disastrous situation was eventually handled, suggests that the possibility of real democracy is not far from Nigeria.
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The 2010 World Cup: The World Cup fever was truly infectious! The whole of Africa stood with pride as South Africa showcased to the world true African hospitality. With Vuvuzelas blowing loudly on almost every street, we tuned in to watch Africa’s best compete with the rest of the world. Although, many felt let down by the Nigerian Super Eagles, our girls, the Super Falcons were able to turn things round for us when they won the 7th African Women’s Championship in South Africa! Go Super Falcons!
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Growth of our Events and Entertainment Culture: 2010 was the official year for events! Our social calendars were filled right from January with international events starting with the 2010 Face of Africa and ending with the MTV Africa Music Awards. Homegrown events such as Elite Model Look Nigeria, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, the Future Awards, Miss Nigeria, Hip Hop World Awards, Soundcity Music Video Awards and the FAB Night Out. The music and Nollywood scene also upped their game throwing listening and album launch parties and film premieres almost every month, i.e. Ije, Bursting Out, MI2, Mo’Cheddah and Killz, and Omotola album launch parties!
In addition to this, many Nigerian artists waged war on mediocrity and released chart-topping hit singles and albums accompanied with stellar quality video’s. Bez’s video for “More You’ was one of our favorites on Bella Naija and Asa’s sophomore album destroyed her critics and showed just how far she has come as an artist. MI2, MI’s 2nd album blew us out of the water while Wizkid schooled us on how to make a solid debut with “Holla at Your Boy”!
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Fashion Boom: African fashion grew leaps and bounds in 2010 and Nigerian designers were at the forefront of that growth. African designers sizzled at various fashion weeks (Africa, London, New York, etc) and we watched with absolute glee as our homegrown talent, Tiffany Amber, Jewel by Lisa, Deola Sagoe and Ituen Basi (to mention just a few) displayed an array of diverse styles, scintillating fabrics, and glorious colours on models who graced the runway like Cleopatra herself! CNN, also aware of the great African fashion boom, and Nigeria’s contribution to this boom, also profiled some of our homegrown designers: Tiffany Amber, Deola Sagoe and Lanre Da Silva-Ajayi.
What Nigerian women saw on their screens also translated into their wardrobes! Even shopping became an event in 2010. Le Petit Marche doubled up and became Le Grand Marche in December and our celebrities chose to patronize our own designers on the red carpet. Some of our favourites from last year include Mai Atafo, Jewel By Lisa, and Zebra!
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Nigeria @ 50 and her embattled governance: Nigeria celebrated her 50th anniversary of independence from colonial rule on the 1st day of October. Unfortunately rather than being a joyous occasion, many Nigerian’s questioned exactly what we had to celebrate. Nigerian were blinded with rage with the budget allocation for the festivities and questioned the reason behind such a lavish budget. We questioned our governance; we questioned our existence; we questioned everything, but no answers came. Nothing, however, prepared us for the bomb blasts which took place at the Federal Capital territory on that day. Our hearts bled for our innocent brothers and sisters who were part of a senseless killing and we are still waiting for justice on the issue.
We also continued to witness our courts overturn governorship elections in various states: Delta, Osun and Ekiti are examples. We continue to hope for a better 2011 for our Country, Nigeria!
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A Year of More Rewards for Writers: 2010 came with a few surprises and more rewards for Nigerian writers, both on the home front and the international scene. After Pelu Awofeso, a Nigerian travel writer won the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award for Culture and Tourism, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s debut novel, I Do Not Come to You by Chance, won two major laurels (the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa Region and a Betty Trask Award) while it was also in top three for the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Earlier in the year (February), Odia Ofeimun, sexagenarian Nigerian poet, essayist, journalist, and social critic, had also been announced as the 2010 winner of the Fonlon-Nichols Award, a prestigious award, administered by the African Literature Association.
We were still savouring the good taste of all these when the news broke that Chibundu Onuzo, a 19-year-old Nigerian undergraduate student of History at King’s College, London, had signed a two-novel deal with the British publisher Faber, making her its youngest ever woman author. Her first novel, “The Spider King’s Daughter,” is due for publishing in 2011. All these writers and many more had a truly great 2010. We can only wait to see more beautiful surprises and greater rewards for Nigerian writers in the New Year!
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Social Media/Communication Explosion: Nigerians embraced our Blackberry Messengers, Twitter and Facebook with ferocious passion!
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Reality TV Mania – Glo Naija Sings, Nigerian Idol, MTN Project Fame West Africa, Big Brother Africa, Peak Talent Hunt etc… : There were so many reality shows on TV in 2010. One of the highlights was when BBA fans screamed in unison as Uti Nwachukwu was announced winner of the All Star edition of Big Brother Africa. People updated their status messages on twitter, blackberry and Facebook, hugged our neighbors and phoned our friends in glee!
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Jos and the Bomb Blasts As if the senseless killings in Jos early in the year were not enough, a repeat performance happened later in the year. Bomb blasts on the 31st of December in Abuja and reports of violence elsewhere have brought security issues in our country to the forefront of debate. Nigerians continue to urge the government to protect its citizenry as the threats of more bomb blasts and violence continue to permeate various corners of the country, especially as the country prepares for one of its most important elections ever.
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Now we can now fully turn our attention to 2011 and all it holds! Like we’ve been saying all year, we really are excited about 2011!
Here are some of the things we are most definitely going to be talking about in 2011! – 11 to Look Forward to in 2011
Yes We Can? The Nigerian Elections: The World in 2011 issue of The Economist suggests that Africa’s democratic credentials rest solely on Nigeria’s ability to hold a hitch-free election. It also goes on to doubt the possibility of ‘free’ and ‘fair’ elections taking place in the country. The world is watching Nigeria, Nigerians and our leaders closely. The start of a new decade could well be the start of a new Nigeria, but this can only happen if we go out in huge numbers to vote. Voter registration starts on the 15th of January, and this is a pivotal step in the voting process – one every Nigerian within the voting age bracket should be part of.
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Let There be Light! Revolution in the Power and Energy Industry: Did I hear you scream “Light up Nigeria!”? Discussions on power reforms have been ongoing since Obasanjo’s 2nd presidential term. The news reels suggest that the Nigerian government is in the process of selling off some of the assets of the Power holding Cooperation of Nigeria to interested private investors. How sincere such efforts may be and if/when they will translate into real, physical and visible change on the ground for Nigerian’s is still left to be seen.
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A Culture of Fear? Security Overhaul in Nigeria: With the bomb blasts of 2010 still fresh in our minds and the culprits of such treacherous acts still at large, it is no wonder that Nigerians are starting to get weary. And, as Election Day draws close, people are beginning to ask the government to implement security policies and instruments which ensure our safety. We hope to see an overhaul of the national security system and a visible improvement in law enforcement that will ensure personal security for everyday Nigerians.
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The Next Generation – A New Batch of Talent & Accelerated Growth in Fashion: Recently, we released the BellaNaija.com Hotlist – 11 promising Nigerian designers who we expect to widen the frontiers of Nigerian fashion in 2011 – Bridget Awosika, Toju Foyeh, Babushka and April by Kunbi were just a few of the designers featured on that list. We also have our eye on other bright young design stars – Maki O & Eniola David. Of course, we cannot wait for the fashion season to begin. The fashion world is already hotting up as designers prepare to showcase at the Johannesburg Fashion Week in February which will be closely followed by the London Fashion Week in the same month. Also, Le Petit Marche has already promised us a bigger and better 2011, with more vendors and fabulous fashion stock! We are also expecting new heights of versatility in African fashion, where African designers use staple African fashion items as a bridge into globally acceptable fashion staples, thus bringing the African fashion culture into a more global context.
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Did someone say “MORE Music”?: Last year, MI took us on a lyrical adventure with MI2; now, his contemporary, Naeto C, is on the verge of dropping his own sophomore album. We’ve already featured a few singles from the upcoming album and we released the track listing on Bella Naija recently and all we can say is “the only MC with an MSc is coming hard! 10 over 10 without a doubt. We can’t wait! Wizkid, Lynxxx, SDC, D’Banj, Ice Prince are just a few of the artists we are expecting to hear big from this year. Darey Art-Alade also released a few tracks from his upcoming album “Double Dare” in 2010; the versatility of the tracks and the sampled beats shows us that Darey intends to blow the competition wide open in 2011 and establish himself as the Nigerian king of RnB and Pop! But you’d be wrong to think my ladies are taking a back seat. Word on the street is that the “Kele Kele Love” queen, Tiwa Savage, has some chart topping new singles on the way! We are also expecting to hear more from our music divas Waje, Omawumi, Sasha P, Chidynma, Muna, and, of course, our MTV winning princess, Mo’Cheddah!
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Who will say I do? Last year, the idea of a “wedding” seemed to evolve from simple “I Dos” into a massive themed celebration. There were so many celebrity weddings – from Bright ‘Basketmouth’ Okpocha to Cobhams Asuquo to Mike Ezuruonye to Sammie Okposo.
This year, wedding preparations have begun in earnest. Nollywood star Dakore Egbuson married her longtime love, Olumide Akande a few days ago.
In 2011, we hope that there is a renewed focus on the actual marriage beyond the beautiful weddings which we all love.
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Events! Events! Events!: We are expecting the events culture of 2010 to explode in 2011. Already, there is a buzz in the air about this year’s Future Awards which will take place at the end of this month. Organizers have already indicated that the dress code may be accompanied with a splash of green! What this will translate to on the red carpet, is anyone’s guess but if last year is anything to go by, this year’s red carpet event culture is going to be painted with all the colours of the rainbow! Especially with Nigerian designers eager to churn out exquisite pieces and our celebrities who are all too willing to patronize their own.
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Nollywood International! Last year Nollywood showed us that they were ‘capable’ of international scrutiny. Nigerian movies were showcased at international film festivals. Movies like Ije, The Figurine, Holding Hope and Anchor baby, to mention just a few showed the versatility of Nollywood actors, directors and producers. We are expecting the industry, which is worth millions of naira, will continue to grow in 2011 and for more versatile scripts and plot lines to be showcased. We are also excited about the new crop of actors and actresses coming through. Omoni Oboli from Anchor Baby, for example, promises to be one to watch in 2011.
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Endorse Me: Last year we saw Genevieve become the face of MUD Cosmetics and Lynxxx endorsed by the global drinks brand, Pepsi. With more investors seeing potential in the Nigerian economy and many more brands setting up regional offices in the country, it is possible that many more of our celebrities will become local and global ambassadors for various indigenous and international brands. We are excited for the possibilities this holds for our economy and our celebrities! Genevieve already has a new endorsement deal with Luna Milk. She filmed a TV commercial for the brand in Lebanon and it has started running on various TV stations.
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Coming from America? Last year, a host of international celebrities graced the Nigerian shores causing pandemonium and excitement everywhere they went. From secular artists like Rick Ross, Joe, Eve, Angie Stone, T-Pain, Akon, R Kelly, Gerald Albright, to Christian acts like Mary Mary, Don Moen, Micah Stampley and Fred Hammond. Our sources tell us that this year will not be any different, as plans are being made to bring many of our favorite international heavy weights to our side of the continent. We will, as usual, continue to update you as the names of such celebrities are revealed.
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More Football: Even though the Eagles didn’t live up to the country’s expectations last year, our Falcons and Falconets made up for us in many ways than one. This year we are looking up to our Super Falcons to bring home the FIFA Women’s World Cup from Germany! Did someone say “what a man can’t do, a woman can do better”?
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That’s a wrap folks! Remember to keep BellaNaija.com bookmarked in 2011 as your most up-to-date source of the richest entertainment, fashion, feature and lifestyle news!
