Upcoming actress, Karen Obilom was born in Texas and raised by Nigerian parents.
(Photo: Karen Obilom)
Karen graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood in 2014. She started off by taking jobs as an acting extra and doing background work. She eventually got an agent and gradually booked some commercials with major brands.
She made her credited debut on the third season of HBO’s Emmy-nominated comedy, Insecure, playing the role of Antoinette. She then went on to appear in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles and the acclaimed web series, Mr. Student Body President.
(Photo: HBO/Insecure)
She eventually made her big splash with the premiere of BET’s newest series, Games People Play. She stars in the show, alongside Lauren London, Sarunas Jackson, Jackie Long and Parker McKenna Posey.
The show focuses on the sexy, mesmerizing high life of Los Angeles. At its center is Marques King, a newly traded L.A. baller and his wife Vanessa King, to whom Obilom’s Nia Bullock, an ambitious journalist hungry for exclusives, is a friend to.
Jackie Long, Lauren London, Sarunas Jackson, Karen Obilom and Parker McKenna Posey (Photo: BET)
Her goal is to make movies with people who look like her. Obilom and her boyfriend are working on a feature film, A Long Ways From Okay, which focuses on a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down. She plans to have it premiere at Sundance.
She’s also just shot a trailer pilot with Nigerian comedian, Chief Obi, for a movie called Rukky. It’s directed by Ebiye Ikuku and it’s about a girl from Nigeria who goes to Los Angeles for photography and learns to navigate life in the city.
Juliet Ehimuan, Google Nigeria’s Country Director has been named as one of 30 People Who Are Changing the World by London Business School Review.
LBS Review says about her:
Juliet Ehimuan wants to raise human dignity by helping to develop human capacity and create opportunities for growth. But Ehimuan is not a charity boss or a UN chief. As Country Director of Google Nigeria, she’s a global tech leader whose contributions to technology and entrepreneurship have won her multiple awards and recognition, including being named one of Forbes’ 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa and featuring in the third series of the BBC Women of Africa strand, Power Women.
Ehimuan runs “Beyond Limits” initiative where she coaches young people to become self-leaders.
“I tell them to always apply themselves and make the best of every circumstance. Every situation offers an opportunity to learn, grow and define who you are. Always do your best, always expand your horizon. You never know what is around the corner,” she told LBS Review.
In 2017, she worked with thirteen young women from the disadvantaged area of Kiri Kiri, Lagos on an intensive boot camp to transform the lives forever.
Meeting every weekend over a three month period, she worked with them on self-development, leadership skills, personal and organisational effectiveness, and business skills – transferable competencies all required for any leader, whether in the field of STEM, fashion, catering or the creative arts.
Today, under her helm, Google is transforming lives and placing Africa at the forefront of the future of technology. Free digital training is being offered to ten million Africans in five years with three million already trained so far. This will give digital skills and certifications to young people, giving them an edge in an over-saturated job market.
Kim Kardashian West has again helped secure the release of a black man who spent over 22-years in jail over a low level drug case.
Kardashian, who’s currently studying to become a criminal justice lawyer, became more involved with helping convicts after she was able to persuade US President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a first-time non-violent drug offender, months ago.
“We did it again! Had the best call w/this lovely family & my attorney @msbkb who just won release for their loved one Jeffrey in Miami – he served 22 years of life sentence for low level drug case. He served too much time but it gives me so much joy to fund this life saving work,” Kim wrote.
Omoni Oboli couldn’t contain her joy as she announced her victory at the court over the ownership of the script for ‘Okafor’s Law’ challenged by Jude Idada and Rancouteour Productions.
In her victory speech, she said judgment was given on May 2, 2019, after two years. In an Instagram post, Oboli narrated the experience in the last two years but happy to have been vindicated.
On Thursday, March 30, 2017, a Federal High Court granted Omoni Oboli the go ahead to release “Okafor’s Law” on Friday March 31, 2017.
Though the Court lifted the injunction, the case remained in court, with hearing of the substantive matter commencing on Monday, April 3, 2017.
Earlier Justice N. Buba had ruled in favour of an interlocutory injunction which was served to Omoni Oboli, Filmone and Dioni Visions to halt the release of the movie in Nigeria.
Jude Idada, a Canadian based screenwriter had publicly accused Omoni Oboli of stealing his idea for the ‘Okafor’s Law’ script’ on September 7, 2017. Few days after the name calling, Oboli’s ‘Okafor’s Law,’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Monday, September 12, 2016.
Idada assigned rights of his script to Chioma Onyenwe of Raconteur Productions. Following this move, Oboli was prevented from premiering her film in Nigeria on March 24, 2017, after being served a court injunction filed by Raconteur Productions. Following the injunction, the previously scheduled premiere of “Okafor’s Law” didn’t hold.
Jude Idada had called Omoni Oboli out over the script of her film, ‘Okafor’s Law.’ [Twitter/Jude Idada]
The Past between Idada and Oboli
In 2013, Jude Idada claimed to have written a treatment for the movie “Being Mrs Elliott,” which he forwarded to the actress. However, Oboli produced the movie off the treatment without contacting or paying Idada for his work.
According to our source, the actress defended her act, claiming to have forgotten that a treatment was sent to her by Idada.
Jude Idada, who had no idea that a movie was made off his treatment, got to find out at the 2014 Nollywood Film Festival in Paris, when the movie was screened to the audience.
Hence, Idada was reportedly hesitant to write the script because he once had a bad experience with the Obolis in the past.
The alleged negotiation between Oboli and Idada
On March 30, 2017, Pulse spoke with an undisclosed source who said that Oboli had contacted Jude Idada to write the script and that they had shared ideas during their several meetings.
According to her, Oboli decided to write her own script after several attempts to reach Jude was unsuccessful.
However, another inside contradicted the above source, stating that after Oboli had contacted Jude Idada in late 2014 to write her script, the latter tried severally to reach her, but wasn’t successful.
Back in March, three Nigerian authors — Oyinkan Braithwaite, Akwaeke Emezi and Diana Evans — made the longlist for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The longlist has finally been narrowed down, and the final shortlist includes Oyinkan Braithwaitefor My Sister, the Serial Killer and Diana Evansfor Ordinary People, making them the fifth and sixth Africans to be finalists for the prestigious prize.
Diana Evans and Oyinkan Braithwaite (Photo: The New York Times)
The previous Africans on the shortlist include Nigeria’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in 2004, 2007 and 2014; the Sierra Leonean-Scottish novelist, Aminatta Forna in 2011; the Ghanaian-Canadian writer, Esi Edugyan in 2012; and Nigeria’s Ayobami Adebayo in 2017.
With Evans and Braithwaite making the shortlist, this is the first time ever that more than one African has been named a finalist for the prize. Winning the Women’s Prize for Fiction is an incredible honour — one that comes with high regard and a £30,000 cash reward.
The winners will be announced on June 5.
Ordinary People and My Sister, The Serial Killer (Photo: Brittle Paper)
Nigeria has a long way to go when it comes to women’s rights, as political, religious and cultural nuances continue to shape and can restrict the visibility, participation and leadership roles available to Nigerian women. However, we can start by implementing some of these recommendations and ensure that the women’s justice agenda is created and is a priority at the local, state and federal levels of government.
On April 28, 2019, Matt Obono, convener of the TAP Initiative, reported that 70 women were arrested and taken to the Utako police station in Abuja.
Their offence? Partying at a nightclub. But it did not stop there.
Obono reported allegations of sexual abuse and molestation. “The joint task force who arrested these girls also molested and sexually assaulted them,” he said.
In a bid to justify their illegal arrest and detention, the 70 women were accused of crimes they did not commit. These women were publicly shamed, humiliated and paraded by the Nigerian authorities before the media while the rest of the world watched. This is not the first time that the Nigerian government will impede on and violate the rights of Nigerian women.
Only two years ago, Dorothy Njemanze, Edu Ene Okoro, Justina Etim and Amarachi Jessyforth won a lawsuit against the Nigerian government, and were each awarded damages in the sum of six million naira (about $16,500) after they were abducted, unlawfully detained, and assaulted sexually, physically, and verbally at different times between Janaury 2011 and March 2013 in the hands of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other government agencies, such as the police and the military.
They were arrested and accused of being prostitutes simply on the grounds that they were found on the streets at night.
Nigeria has a long way to go when it comes to women’s rights and attaining gender equality. In 2016, I penned the article, “A Year in Review: What It Means to be a Woman in Nigeria,” where I tried to enunciate the many issues facing women in our country. Since writing the article, not much has improved for women in Nigeria, in spite of the numerous organizations fighting tirelessly for gender equality and women’s rights. However, these women are pushing the envelope for good, and must be commended. Political nuances, religious and cultural beliefs continue to hinder on our progress.
To date, the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill is yet to be passed, and has been voted against repeatedly by Nigerian lawmakers, majority of whom are men. (Women in parliament constitute just 5.6 percent). To date, there remains a lack of visible female leadership in politics, policy and governance, and there continues to be an absence of women’s participation in crucial decision making circles from business to technology.
Here are examples:
Seeing these photos from an appreciation dinner for Lagos State’s incoming governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, one is only left wondering, where are the women?
These from the Foundation for Good Governance for Development in Nigeria also beg the same question. Not represented at the event are women leaders from President Muhammadu Buhari’s team.
In a conversation with Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor of Germany, President Buhari, in 2016, made it clear that women (referring to his wife Aisha Buhari)only belong to the kitchen and to the bedroom. To date, he is yet to apologize for his comments about women.
Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Reach and popular social media commentator, J.J. Omojuwa wrote, “Nigeria is desperate for women in politics and governance” as he posted a photograph of Nigeria’s all male leadership team.View image on Twitter
What can be done to improve the participation of women across all sectors? What can we do, as active citizens, to ensure progress in gender equality and women’s rights: Here are a few recommendations:
Pass the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill.
Fund and support women’s organizations and initiatives as women’s rights organizations help to strengthen the links between leaders and the women in the communities they represent.
Encourage and implement women’s participation in leadership roles at the local, state and federal levels of government.
Establish a sex offenders’ registry and database. Despite an overwhelming number of reported cases of sexual assaults, Nigeria has recorded only eighteen rape convictions in its legal history in a country of 190 million people.
Protect women and girls in Nigeria through new laws and policies; this will help Nigeria achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda on Women and Girls.
Indeed, Nigeria has a long way to go when it comes to women’s rights, as political, religious and cultural nuances continue to shape and can restrict the visibility, participation and leadership roles available to Nigerian women. However, we can start by implementing some of these recommendations and ensure that the women’s justice agenda is created and is a priority at the local, state and federal levels of government.
The women’s justice agenda will advance, implement and improve the reproductive, economic, political and social rights for all Nigerian women. The women’s justice agenda will ensure that the Nigerian government will be held accountable, and will remain at the forefront of this critical fight to protect women’s rights and ensure fairness for all women living in Nigeria.
As I type, 70 girls were arrested and brought to Utako Police station last night. This is in addition to the ones who were arrested on Friday night. Their offence; clubbing and in some instance, prostitution. Some have been assaulted with injuries in their vaginas.
One of the ladies arrested has a 2-month old baby. She wasn’t allowed to breastfeed her baby by CRO in charge on duty despite continuous plea amidst tears. It took the intervention of a female police officer who called the DPO to overrule the decision of the inspector at the time.
The joint task force that arrested some of these girls have been allegedly molesting and assaulting them. Some even showed the bruises and bleeding in their vaginas.
This is not the first time this month. According to Premium Times, police officers, two weeks ago, arrested about 30 women at different night clubs.
Police say they were arrested for prostitution, which is against Nigeria’s law but it begs the questions, “how do they know they are prostitutes,” “Is it a crime for a woman to be in a club?” and “what about the ‘client’? What happens to them?”
Obono’s tweets said they officers have been sexually assaulting the women while in detention, and we know
Nigerians have been condemning the raid as well as the assault, and we stand with them!
Dear Women all over Nigeria, how long do you think it will take before the Nigerian police start start arresting you for buying suya or standing outside your gate at night?! If they can do it to women in a city where asorock is situate, how safe do you really think you are?
Groundbreaking Muslim supermodel Halima Aden has made history once again by becoming the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
In 2016, Aden became the first contestant in Miss Minnesota USA to wear a hijab and burkini, ultimately reaching the pageant’s semi-finals.
“There are so many Muslim women that feel like they don’t fit society’s standard of beauty,” she told CNN at the time.
“I just wanted to tell them it’s OK to be different, being different is beautiful, too.”
She shared a similar sentiment at her Sports Illustrated shoot. “Growing up in the United States, I never really felt represented because I never could flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab,” she said in a behind-the-scenes video. “Don’t be afraid to be the first.”
Credit: Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated
Aden, who is Somali-American, grew up in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, before moving with her family to the US at the age of seven.Her Sports Illustrated shoot, photographed by Yu Tsai, took place at Kenya’s Watamu
“I keep thinking (back) to six-year-old me who, in this same country, was in a refugee camp,” Aden told the magazine. “So to grow up to live the American dream [and] to come back to Kenya and shoot for SI in the most beautiful parts of Kenya — I don’t think that’s a story that anybody could make up.”
Credit: Yu Tsai/SI Swimsuit
Again, this isn’t the first time Aden has made history — or even the first time this year. In March, she was one of three black hijabi models featured on the cover of Vogue Arabia — the magazine’s first group hijabi cover — alongside Ikram Abdi Omar and Amina Adan.
In April 2018, she broke new ground in British Vogue, as the first hijabi woman on the cover.”I empower women by staying true to myself and also encouraging them to go out and not be scared to be the first,” Aden told CNN on International Women’s Day in March. “If you don’t see yourself represented in any given field, take it upon yourself to be the one.”
London-based Maryam Salam is breaking taboos about being a stylish Hijab wearer and has been helping inspire other women on Muslim beauty, fashion, and modesty with her fashion and lifestyle choices.
I’ve always worked on my faith journey with God and wearing hijab is something I’ve always wished for and prayed about. I believe dressing modestly is one of many steps to get stronger in my faith and closer to God.
The Nigerian blogger who transitioned to modest fashion including discussions around faith and being a hijabi in this millennial generation to her blog admits that adjusting her lifestyle and becoming more intentional about the way she dresses was not an easy one.
I lost my job then due to my choice to wear hijab in the workplace. However, this didn’t stop me, things got better. The more I embrace it, the better things get!
Two years later, Salam is now one of the biggest modest Nigerian fashion influencers and right after bagging a degree in Entrepreneurship & International Business last month, announced her new brainchild Arewa Scarveswhich doubles as a fashion accessory brand and also a fund-raising platform for the education of the girl child with a portion of every sale going to a charity organisation based in Nigeria.
Bella Naija caught up with Maryam and she talks about the inspiration behind Arewa Scarves, why it was important to create that brand and the impactful ways she hopes to change the way hijab-wearing women perceive themselves.
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BNS: Tell us about the new brand Maryam: Arewa Scarves is a social enterprise providing carefully selected and high-quality scarves to suit every skin tones while supporting Girl-child education in Nigeria by donating £1 from every sale to our charity partner Global Hope Integrated Empowerment (an NGO in Nigeria for women and children) executing these aims.
BNS:What is the inspiration behind Arewa Scarves? Maryam: The desire to make an impact in the community. In my mind, I had a plan to: finish my first degree, then second, then apply for jobs, get a small apartment then start saving to achieve my goals gradually but God had a better plan. After several years of being scared, planning and hesitating (sometimes), I launched a project very dear to my heart and finally, I can embark on this journey that isn’t just about me or for me. Arewa Scarves is more than a fashion brand but we hope it will become a movement/community where we can impact lives while still looking beautiful. It’s about coming together to support a cause: The girl-child and children in general for something we might see as little but impactful (£1 from every sale is donated to support Girl-child, implemented by our charity partners)
BNS: Why was there a need to create this brand now? Maryam: I am a hijabi and I struggle with finding high-quality scarves that suits me, that’s maybe because I am dark skinned. That’s why Arewa Scarves focus on pieces that enhance skin colour, especially for people of colour.
BNS: Who is your brand targeted at? Maryam: Our target audience is first young people that believe in our brand promise: “together, we can make a big impact“ and people of colour who love to explore the beauty of scarves. We believe Arewa Scarves is an experience. We want women to feel beautiful, empowered and confident when wearing our scarves.
BNS: What are some plans you have for the brand? Maryam: To be able to spread our support across different countries and charity organizations in Africa.
Acclaimed Nigerian-American author, Nnedi Okorafor is set to take Hollywood by storm! According to Brittle Paper, Okorafor announced via Facebook that she is starting her own TV Production company, Africanfuturism Productions, Inc.
(Photo: TED.com)
According to Nnedi, the company will focus exclusively on television series because of the relative freedom TV affords:
“Film is too restrictive.”
Not much else is known about the company for now, but we can be expecting some high quality work from them because Nnedi’s novels are pretty incredible. She is is one of science fiction’s smartest and most successful voices.
