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DJ CUPPY BECOMES ‘MAYBELLINE IT GIRL’ FOR NIGERIA & GHANA

An international DJ, Musician, and Philanthropist with a rapidly increasing fan base, Cuppy is well known around the continent and recognized for her skills on the turntable, her philanthropic work, and warm personality.

“As a young African female, it is an honour for me to be able to represent and join the Maybelline New York family! As a teenager, Maybelline was my first ever makeup purchase,” said Cuppy. “It is exciting to be a voice for not only myself but for every other young girl who wants to feel appreciated and valued in their various communities. We are strong, beautiful and capable of exceeding expectations and that to me is what Maybelline stands for. I could not be prouder to represent them and make it happen.”

Cuppy joins an impressive lineup of international ‘IT GIRLS’ who have helped shape the identity of the iconic Maybelline New York brand. “Cuppy embodies the determination, passion, and dream of making it happen in New York City,” said Sekou Coulibaly, Managing Director, L’Oréal West Africa.

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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MEET 9-YEAR-OLD RILEY MORRISON, WHO IS CHANGING THE NARRATIVE FOR FEMALE ATHLETES

Riley Morrison is just 9 years old and she’s changing the game for female athletes. In November, the young girl wrote a letter to three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry expressing her concern over the lack of girls’ sizes in his Under Armour kids‘ basketball sneakers.

Not only did Steph write back to Riley about how he was going to “fix the issue,” but they worked together to design a new pair of basketball shoes for International Women’s Day.

Stephen Curry

✔@StephenCurry30

Appreciate you helping us get better Riley! We got you.

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On March 7, the day before the release of the new sneakers, Riley (who coincidentally has the same name as Steph’s oldest daughter) joined the Golden State Warriors player to debut their hard work.

 

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Under Armour Hoops

✔@UAbasketball

Look at what the power of a voice can create. 9-year old Riley Morrison wrote a letter to @stephencurry30 to let him know she could not find his signature shoe in girls sizes. 5 months later, she co-designed theE for International Women’s Day.

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Riley and Steph worked together on the UA ICON Curry 6 United We Win purple shoe, which features a sockliner designed by Riley. The liner has inspiring quotes like “Girls Hoop Too,” “Play With Heart,” “Girl Power,” and more.

“I WAS IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED WHEN I SAW RILEY’S LETTER; THAT A 9-YEAR-OLD GIRL HAD THE COURAGE TO USE HER VOICE TO CALL ATTENTION TO AN ISSUE AND KEEP US ACCOUNTABLE,”

Steph said.

“SHE WAS FOCUSED ON THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL GIRLS, NOT JUST HERSELF. SHE’S BEEN AN AMAZING CATALYST FOR CHANGE – NOT ONLY WITH MY PRODUCT BUT ALSO WITH THE ENTIRE UNDER ARMOUR BRAND. SHE IS INSPIRING, AND WISE BEYOND HER YEARS.”

The sneaker’s colorway that blends purple and deep orchid with white is also reflective of International Women’s Day, as purple is the internationally recognized color to symbolize women, according to the IWD website.

 

 

Credit: Fab Woman

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“WE ARE WOMEN, WE ARE POWERFUL. WE ARE NOT CHEAP” -TOYIN ABRAHAM

Nollywood actress and producer, Toyin Abraham has reacted to the report that Nigerian entertainer, MC Galaxy allegedly asked ladies to strip and touch themselves intimately on his Instagram live video in order to win the sum of #50,000 cash prize.

Reacting to this act, Toyin Abraham spared no words in criticizing the singer while condemning the act. In a lengthy letter, she described what he did as despicable, debasing of women and urged him to be more like other celebs who focus on helping people.

She wrote:

“Dear MC Galaxy, what you did asking girls to go naked for 50k is despicable, debasing, and bad in every way. You just further strengthen the believe that the easiest way women can get things is to sell their bodies. I sincerely can’t fathom what you need or gain from this despicable act when you could have checked in on p*rn sites.”

“I am not trying to be a moral judge, I am the least qualified to judge a fellow human, but just the way you used your influence and platform for this woman-debasing act, I am also using mine to stand against an act ridiculing women and further prove that some men are scum. See what people like LindaIkeji, KemiAdetiba, Chimamanda, (Even your friend, LauraIkeji), and other women are doing with their platforms, they lift other women by living, giving and not asking for n*des.”

“You can as well follow examples of young men like Davido, TundeEdnut, Wizkid, and Banky W. My message to those girls that went naked on your page is this -please let’s do better, let’s stop making men like Mr. Galaxy think everything about women is money. Don’t sell yourself short because of 50k, its the least of the money you will make in your lifetime. We are women, we are powerful, we are not cheap. With love always, Toyin Abraham.”

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PROFILE| MEET FUNMI OMO, THE FIRST FEMALE CEO/MD OF AFRICAN ALLIANCE PLC

Funmi Omo is the first female CEO/MD of African Alliance Plc.  She joined African Alliance about 28 years ago, and has become the first CEO to champion the unveiling of a new corporate identity.

An innovative and transformational leader, ‘Funmilayo Omo brings over 25 years of experience and a proven track record of success into her role as the Managing Director of African Alliance Plc.

She began her professional career in 1991 at African Alliance, before it was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, as the Head of Department, Individual Business. Her drive and penchant for excellence led to her promotion to the position, Head of Technical, Insurance Operations, where she successfully led the retail marketing team to expand the business volume by over 1000%. Following that, she rose to the position of the Chief Operating Officer in 2006, where she was solely responsible for providing strategic direction for the company’s business operations.

In 2012, Funmilayo resumed the position of Executive Director, Operations at African Alliance Plc, overseeing an 80-staff team comprising of three departments. There, she doubled the gross premium income of the company within 3 years. During the period, she pioneered the design of the annuity products of the company boosting the annuity product range of African Alliance Plc to become a top-3 market player in the industry. She was credited for championing the design of the life administration application and supervising the transition of African Alliance Plc from semi-automated application usage to fully automated management; a change that saved the company countless man hours, thereby improving efficiency and turnaround time.

As an innovative leader with a keen insight into the insurance market terrain, Funmilayo pioneered the design, modelling and marketing of Takaful in African Alliance Plc as the pioneer family Takaful Office in Nigeria. She also developed and successfully launched micro insurance as a Strategic Business Unit in African Alliance Plc.

In addition to her BSc. (Hons.) degree in Insurance from the University of Lagos, Funmilayo is an Associate Member of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Insurance, London, an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and an Associate Member of the Certified Pensions Institute of Nigeria. She is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).

Funmilayo served on the Board of Trustees, Ajaokuta Steel Complex, Axiom Air and National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) until 2016. She currently serves on the board of Frenchies Food, as well as on the board of PAL Pensions Alliance, an associate of African Alliance Plc.

She is also a passionate philanthropist committed to taking young children off the streets and has so far impacted the lives of several disadvantaged children in her local community.

 

 

Culled from funmiomo.com

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OBY EZEKWESILI, UCHE PEDRO, CASTER SEMENYA, OTHERS, HONOURED AT FORBES WOMAN AFRICA AWARDS

The event was held at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on Friday, 8 March.

The awards’ dinner followed a full day of panel discussions and talks by New Wealth Creators from across Africa at the fourth annual Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit (#LWS2019KZN), hosted by the KZN Provincial Government in association with ABSA, the IDC, Women of Africa and supported by Delta Airlines.

See details from the event here.

See the full list of winners below:

Forbes Woman Africa Gen Y Award – Rachel Sibande

Forbes Woman Africa Sports Award – Caster Semenya

Forbes Woman Africa Entertainer Award – Sho Madjozi

Forbes Woman Africa Technology and Innovation Award – Arlene Mulder

Forbes Woman Africa Sustainable Citizen Award – Judith Kepher-Gona

Forbes Woman Africa Social Influencer Award – Oby Ezekwesili

Forbes Woman Africa New Media Award – Uche Pedro

Forbes Woman Africa Male Gender Advocate Award – Bonang Mohale

Forbes Woman Africa Businesswoman of the Year Award – Dr Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula

Forbes Woman Africa Public Sector Award – Nosipho Mkhupheka

Forbes Woman Africa Lifetime Achievement Award – Wendy Luhabe

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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MEGHAN MARKLE BECOMES VICE-PRESIDENT, QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH TRUST

With her husband, Prince Harry as the President and their new baby on the way, the Duchess will highlight the Trust’s partnerships with young people across the Commonwealth, most especially its work supporting women and girls in her new prestigious role.

Meghan joined a special panel discussion of female thought-leaders and activists convened by The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust to mark the appointment and celebrate International Women’s Day. They also discussed various issues affecting women today.

Kensington Palace

✔@KensingtonRoyal

On The Duchess of Sussex has become Vice-President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

The @QueensComTrust, of which The Queen is Patron and The Duke of Sussex is President, exists to champion, fund and connect young leaders around the world

Queen’s CW Trust@queenscomtrust

We are delighted to announce that as of today The Duchess of Sussex will take on the role of Vice-President for The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.
Please join us is welcoming Her Royal Highness to #TeamQCT@KensingtonRoyal

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Kensington Palace added:

“THE QUEEN’S COMMONWEALTH TRUST, WHICH THE QUEEN IS PATRON AND THE DUKE OF SUSSEX IS PRESIDENT, EXISTS TO CHAMPION, FUND AND CONNECT YOUNG LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD.”

Members Of The Royal Family Attend Events To Mark The Centenary Of The RAF

Nicola Brentnall, chief executive, said:

“WE ARE PARTICULARLY DELIGHTED THAT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY OF FORMALLY WORKING TOGETHER WITH HER ROYAL HIGHNESS COMES ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. THIS SQUARES PERFECTLY WITH OUR FOCUS ON AMPLIFYING THE WORK AND CONTRIBUTION OF THOSE FURTHEST AWAY FROM POWER. WOMEN ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH AND THE GLOBE OFTEN FACE THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENTS TO SUCCESS. SO WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE OUR VICE-PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT IN HELPING OTHERS TO OVERCOME THOSE OBSTACLES.”

At the Women’s Day panel, Meghan Markle was joined by model and founder of Gurls Talk Adwoa Aboah, Chair of Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London Julia Guillard, Chrisann Jarrett, founder of Let Us Learn, and Angeline Murimirwa, Executive Director Campaign for Female Education.

At the panel, Meghan Markle mentioned that she’d love for her baby to be a feminist.

The Duchess said:

“I’D SEEN THIS DOCUMENTARY ON NETFLIX ABOUT FEMINISM AND ONE OF THE THINGS THEY SAID DURING PREGNANCY WAS ‘I FEEL THE EMBRYONIC KICKING OF FEMINISM’ I LOVE THAT. SO BOY OR GIRL OR WHATEVER IT IS, WE HOPE THAT THAT’S THE CASE WITH OUR LITTLE BUMP.”

This is not be the first time Meghan Markle will be involved in issues concerning women globally. She has been on this mission since 2014, and has also worked for the United Nations’ Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Watch the highlight of the Women’s Day panel:

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HELEN PAUL BAGS DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

Nigerian comedian and actress, Helen Paul bagged a Doctorate degree on International Women’s Day, she was conferred with a doctorate degree by the Senate of the University of Lagos.

She took to her social media space to share the good news.

She wrote:

“Joy in my heart.
Thank you God Almighty
The Senate of University of Lagos confirmed the award of Ph.D in Theatre Arts to moi!!!!!! What a joy coming on International Women’s Day 08/03/2019. Officially Dr Helen Paul�������
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!!!”

 

 

 

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THREE NIGERIAN AUTHORS NOMINATED FOR THE 2019 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION

The longlist for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been  released and three acclaimed Nigerian authors — Oyinkan Braithwaite, Akwaeke Emezi and Diana Evans — made the cut.

The prestigious prize, formerly the Orange Prize for Fiction, has honoured many great authors since it was launched in 1996, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who won in 2007 for Half of a Yellow Sun. It is a significant career boost and it comes with a £30,000 ($40,000) prize.

Akwaeke Emezi, Diana Evans and Oyinkan Braithwaite

Oyinkan Braithwaite for My Sister, The Serial Killer

Hilarious and deliciously twisted,  My Sister, The Serial Killer tells the story of the complex relationship between a murderous yet glamorous Lagosian fashion designer and her responsible older sister, who’s always ready with bleach and rubber gloves to help cover up a crime.

(Photo: Nantygreens)

Akwaeke Emezi for Freshwater

Emezi’s Freshwater explores the multiple voices of an Igbo god living within a young woman. They also used Igbo cosmology to reveal their experience as a trans African. Their inclusion in the list means it is the first time a non-binary trans author has been included in the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

(Photo: She Reads With Cats)

Diana Evans for Ordinary People

Evans’ Ordinary People cleverly exposes the melancholy of suburban middle-class black people using celebrity events. The book opens at a party thrown in honor of Barack Obama’s presidential victory, in 2008, and closes in the aftermath of Michael Jackson’s overdose and death.

(Photo: A Novel Idea)

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ACTRESS, YVONNE JEGEDE CONFIRMS THAT HER MARRIAGE IS OVER

Yvonne has now confirmed that they are no longer living together and have gone their separate ways in an exclusive interview with Pulse‘sGbenga Bada.

“We started having issues before the birth of Xavier (their son). I think I was about two to three months pregnant when the issues came. Immediately the issues came, there was never a dull moment, it just kept going up and up and it got worse and it got bad and today here we are,” she said.

She continued: “Right now, we are not living together, and we are not living as husband and wife, we are not husband and wife anymore and I would say a mutual agreement to go our separate ways. It didn’t work out, it wasn’t working out.”

Jegede also responded to rumours about the paternity of her son Xavier, saying Abounce “is 100% sure he’s his son”.

She said:

I don’t call him. I only reached out to him when I feel the need to because he knows Xavier is his son, he is 100% sure he’s his son.

He’s been to the house twice after we got back to the country, he’s come to see his son twice and he has pictures with his son on his phone which I took so why he’s not posting them, maybe his personal reasons, maybe he’s not like me who is showing my joy to the world. I don’t know but is that enough to give me a name? No, you don’t give me a name like that. Common! That is not right, people tried to bully me or make dry joke over this, about my life, would you be happy if I were your sister but anyways, I am here, I am strong and will be strong for my son. I have morals to set for him and what the world is about.”

Yvonne told Pulse that she and Abounce had sweet moments together during their marriage.

The couple got married in 2017 and welcomed their son in November 2018.

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

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#METOO: NIGERIAN MODELS ARE CALLING OUT SEXUAL HARASSERS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

The #MeToo movement has found its way to this part of the world, and the essence of it, is to remove the shame that’s typically associated with speaking out as a victim of sexual assault.

The end goal is to turn male-dominated and abusive power structures on their heads, and the Nigerian fashion industry has woken up to this, with models naming and shaming abusers they’ve come across in the past.

Nigerian models recently rallied together in a bid to stop the casual sexual violence they suffer, by calling out rampant perpetrators — specifically photographers and booking agents — as well as giving advice to young, aspiring models.

The success of a model’s career is largely dependent on the rooms her booking agent can get her into, and from the testaments shared on an Instagram page dedicated to this cause, it’s clear the men in these positions realised their power and used it to prey on these models.

Speaking to Konbini about this, top model Aduke Bey said:

“I’m lucky enough to never have experienced any sexual violence in fashion so far, but I know so many people who have. In fact, more people than not have been assaulted and it’s such a shame. 

First of all, we need more women in the industry as photographers, cinematographers etc, so that we can feel more comfortable around each other, and we won’t always be at the mercy of sometimes wicked men.

I’m glad that people are speaking up now, but we really need more people coming out and saying their stories. There’s still so much to uncover, and we’ve just scratched the surface. Silence gives these abusers more power”

Nigerians have a very limited understanding of a model’s importance in the fashion industry, and therefore cast the job aside as indecent and unserious. As a result, models sometimes feel pressure to entertain unwanted sexual advances in order to get ahead in their careers.

Models are actually crucial in fashion, as there would be no catwalk or runway shows without them. Designers need them to model their clothes in campaigns, and publications need them when creating their content. Given the importance of their role, they should be protected by those in power.

 

 

Credit: konbini.com

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